Down to Earth
by magic-reeni
Summary: Fifteen years ago the evil in human hearts manifested and nearly wiped out the Angel Haven, sacrificing the life of one. Now with his friends eager for his return and powers returning, Yugi finds himself drawn to one particular mortal with whom he shares a connection unlike any other. He never would've guessed this particular mortal had secret not even he was aware of...
1. Prologue

_Prologue_

Pandemonium was spreading. People were panicking and residents were fleeing in droves like rapid rivers on a downhill course. Only the strongest remained. The oldest of the old. As the shadows pressed into the heavens, as black as nothingness could be, every nook and cranny was filled. Everything was covered in dripping goo, mud thick and secreting poison. Those who were infected curled up into sobbing balls of tears and feathers, for there was nothing that could be done to save them. Not a single nook or cranny was left uncovered.

Winged persons used all of their power to stop the looming evil from overrunning their home, but it seemed as if the cloudy haven was to be destroyed for good this time. Nothing was working. None of the angels had seen a force as powerful as this in all their years. Even knowing the source of the shadows' power, not much could be done without vast interference and a major temperance of memory.

The evil itself came from the hearts of humans on earth. Those who knew no happiness. No joy. Only pain and hurt ruled their very souls, the ones who have been cast out by greed and sin. Sadly, there were far more of those were labeled as outcasts than those were who were good and kind, who gave a hand to those in higher need. Such people rarely existed anymore. Only prayers carried on for those with pain-filled hearts and minds, prayers from angels who lived on as mere myths to surface dwellers.

"There must be a better way," one angel gasped out as her wing was nearly clipped from the dripping secretion on the nearest teetering building.

An angel with hair as white as fresh powdered snow had managed to pull her out of the way in time. He was not used to such physical exertion, as proven by the sweat on his brow and a slight kink in his eggshell-colored wings. More prone was he to being piled over ancient tomes, studying the ways of old. From his favored texts and inscriptions he was able to deduce what the evil was upon sigh and saved those who lived on the outskirts of the clouds.

"I've looked through everything," he insisted. Calling on another book, he flipped insistently through the mottled, yellow pages. "I need more time."

A sandy-haired angel with eyeliner emboldening violet eyes and wings the color of light ash cussed loudly, causing several dirty looks to be sent his way by those who believed themselves to be holier and, thus, above the use of foul language. He ignored each of them, preferring to believe in the power of self expression. "Well, hurry the fuck up, Ryou! Ten more have been claimed while you dawdle."

The scene from the skies was horrific. Oozing black shadows flowed from every direction, steadily and surely closing in on the Mountain of Ages. The cloud covered landmark was all that remained as a safe haven and that would not be for much longer. Heaven would be torn apart once it was covered.

Sweat from the pressure was beginning to break out on Ryou's neck, sweltering down his ivory and gold robes as he tossed yet another book carelessly over his shoulder, all respect for his texts having left when things went from bad to worse. "I am trying, Malik, but there's never been a breach this bad."

"Try harder!"

Malik glared at the oncoming evil and wished wholeheartedly that he could just abandon his home as easily as he had abandoned his hope in the kindness lingering in human hearts. No one could ever claim his angel wings had be born on pure spirit. In fact, no one except those closest to the angel ever knew how he'd been selected to rise up from the surface to take on a new being. This attack and the sheer powerful level of it only solidified his belief that mortals were no worth looking after if this was the end result. He could tell Ryou, too, was quickly losing his closely guarded faith in humanity and that hit him a lot harder than he thought.

_Perhaps this is why we are unable to do anything _he figured, watching one of his closest friends struggle to find a passage in his beloved books that might help. _We, who are allocated with guarding humanity against the darkness, have little to no trust in our charges. _

"What's happening?" The sleep-filled voice roused more panic than the oncoming darkness threatening to overrun the heavens.

From the entrance to the main chamber of prayer on the mountain stood an angel no more than five feet tall. His cheeks were tinged pink and normally animated, spiky, tri-colored hair drooped tiredly, much like the gold-lined wings protruding from his shoulders. Robes of dusty cold covered his small form, leaving the tops his feet bare from the ankle down. An intricate choker of gold filigree centered with a rare cut purple diamond shone brightly against the darkness that filled the doorway.

Malik and Ryou gasped at the sight of him, abandoning their posts to help the angel as he began to sway. Despite all appearances, it was the third angel who was devastatingly more powerful than the other two put together and multiplied, had the situation been under better circumstances. As luck would have it, the circumstances were not for the better.

"You shouldn't be out of bed, Yugi," Malik scolded.

Ryou seconded his order, urging the older, shorter angel back into the prayer room. If anything should be utterly destroyed it would be the prayer room that recovered first. It was room painted in the love humans shared of joyous things, though it was a small room now and not as bright as it once was a hundred years ago and brighter still over a hundred years ago. Still, it was heavens best defense at survival and who better to lead that survival than Yugi?

Malik continued to plead. "It was only yesterday you were still hallucinating. Return to bed and think nothing of this noise." The order was a desperate plea in disguise for both knew it was futile to think Yugi would turn away. Truly, he was the last angel in existence that stubbornly refused to belief that there was even one human out there that did not have goodness somewhere in his heart.

Violet eyes strayed to the commotion outside, straying out to the corners of heaven and further where the evil secreted in. Tears filled his vision and he allowed them to fall, crying for those in hurt and pain that had created this threatening evil, those that were so lost in their own depression and misery and grief they could not even see the sun should they look up on a cloudless day. "The shadows," he whispered, not bothering to wipe his face.

Ryou let out a puff of air as he collapsed to his huge pile of books he hadn't the time to flip through. There was no sense in lying or pretending the situation wasn't as dire as it was. "They came out of nowhere in the middle of the night."

His companion dropped on the other side of the pile, a miniature book version of the mountain they hid on. Tanned fingers dragged along the worn, faded spines and aged pages, not finding the fascination or joy in thing that was literally nothing more than paper and words. He was more of an action taker. "We have tried to slow it down, but there's nothing in these," he gestured towards the much larger stack that Ryou started once he began tossing books. Malik's charcoal grey wings folded around him in an attempt to keep himself steady once he felt his hands begin to shake.

_I hated humans _Malik found himself thinking, even so far as to hating his previous existence as one.

Shutting his eyes, flashes of memories of a time long ago touched Yugi. He could feel his soul reach out towards the oncoming darkness and hear the heart's hidden scream from each of the humans that created it. Once upon a time ago doing such a thing would cause him to collapse to his knees in sobs, but now it just caused a gaping hole in his chest, wanting to be able to do more. "Why did anyone not wake me?"

The pair glanced at each other, holding their breaths. Yugi would know what to do. He was one of the oldest left among them and easily the most powerful. He'd fought dozens of the plague before, had heard him mention the battles but never wanting to go into detail. Now, he would have no choice. The way Yugi spoke of the shadow, someone got hurt; really hurt.

He never got the chance to explain. A female angel with flowing, sun-kissed honey hair clung to Yugi's side. "You can't," she cried. "You aren't well! Your strength is nowhere near what it should be. There must be someone else!"

It was true and they all knew it. Yugi made no move to deny it. For days a strange sickness had fallen over the angel. Now there was little mystery with his actions coming to light. Though time and experience should've taught him better, Yugi still did the unthinkable when it came to proving his belief in human's affinity to goodness. Unlike most of the heavenly realm's occupants who closed off their hearts after mere months or even weeks of being disappoint, Yugi kept his always open, letting in the feelings and thoughts of any mortal. The negativity of it all had taken its toll to the point where Yugi's fatigue had illness should have been a blazing beacon of warning that a shadow would soon permeate the boundaries.

With a gaze resembling glass, Yugi reached out a hand to touch the honey tresses. "Serenity, I must. There is no one else." No pointing fingers, no accusations; that was just like Yugi, even when he himself knew that he was the only one with his steadfast and uphill beliefs. Then, pulling from her iron grip, he stretched out his wings and flew with reckless speed down the side of the mountain.

Malik watching him go, his sand colored hair tossing about in the wind and blocking off his Egyptian features. Then, sensing a shift in the air, he turned to hound on the only one who seemed to have answers. "What the hell is going on," he demanded.

Used to profanity flowing like oxygen from Malik's mouth, Serenity just drooped on herself while clinging to her old friend. "A sacrifice," she whispered. "He with a pure heart must sacrifice in the name of true faith."

Shaking her, he futilely tried to make out the riddle, even when it was painstakingly obvious. Ryou knew this also and uncurled each of his fingers from her robes. Afterwards he clung to the first text he grabbed as if it was his lifeline. Tears gushed from his chocolate milk eyes and Malik fought hard not to let his own fall. Together they turned and stared out the mouth of the mountain.

There was nothing they could do but wait. In the distance, only a mile or so from the foot of the mountain, all of them could just barely make out where Yugi hovered above the clouds. His only discernible feature was the glint of gold from his feathers that shimmered off the sunlight raining down on them. He stood alone against the monster, his form the only thing the evil could not pass through, as if a barrier stretched out from Yugi and went as far as the eye could see, the think impassable to the otherwise all-powerful, indestructible evil that slaughtered the rest of their home.

Taking a deep breath, Serenity closed her eyes and recited as though she were reading from a passage only she could see. "One with absolute faith in the mortals can overcome the pain that destroys the heavenly cloud city. Pure faith, pure trust, pure heart of the angels is needed to soothe away the pure doubt, pure agony, and pure hatred of those who have lost their way." It was with those words that the truth was laid bare, raw and gaping like a fresh burn emblazoned on the flesh. Angels had been slack in their regard for the old ways much like the humans had become greedy and mistrustful as time passed. Yugi was the only one who knew the truth just like Yugi was the only one capable of stopping the onslaught of evil onto their home. Malik and Ryou had never such disappointment in themselves. It was as bad as failing Yugi directly.

A burst of anger exploded within Malik and he lashed out at the pile of books behind him. Texts and papers and crinkled bookmarks went flying much to Ryou's horror. "You're telling me that those idiotic, poor excuses for humankind down on the surface are responsible for this catastrophic mayhem and the only ones who can stop it are those who have unwavering love for them?" At the nod Serenity offered to him, he roared and punched a hole through the wall. The clouds creating the building quickly went forth and stitched up the crevice in seconds so moments later no one could tell Malik had lost his temper again. He did once more and then another and another and another until all his reserved strength slipped from his limbs.

Ryou's breath hitched and he turned back on Serenity. "You told Yugi that he wasn't strong enough. His body has been sick in anticipation of this thing coming. What will happen to him?" _Sacrifice _he remembered her saying.

Once more tears streamed down her face and this time she made no move to wipe them clean. "Maybe," she sobbed, "Maybe at full strength things would be different. There's never been an angel as strong as him before and there's definitely never been just the one. In past occurrences there's always been a group of angels and the weakest one was chosen to be sacrificed, to soothe the savage beast and pay for its sins in retribution."

Their talking silenced at an ethereal sound carried on the wind. It was beautiful and harmonious; truly a song befitting heaven itself. Magic filled the words and power laced through that. Though they couldn't see him from the great space the separated them, they knew it was coming from Yugi, that he was praying, cleansing the evil.

All three angels knew what a task cleansing something so big would mean. If only those with absolute faith towards humans could take such a beast out and Yugi was the only one remaining angel left that filled that description than it would take all this magic to finish the job. Even with all this power it might not be enough and that was truly the most terrifying truth of all.

A layer of gold fog seeped into the air and down below they watched as an aura of gold surrounded the small speck of all they could see of Yugi. An angry roar emitted from the darkness coming from everywhere and nowhere all at once. Anger and pain and sadness filled all of the remaining angels, crumbling them to their knees as their souls were ripped open to bear the weight. Just when they were certain they could bear it no longer, gold rain swept down from the skies and cleansed them, washing away the evil that filled them.

And rejoice filled the mountain as Yugi's prayer continued. He was still alive.

The gold rain continued to glitter throughout the skies. Whatever damage it touched was repaired and whoever it fell on was washed of the ooze that was infected. Whoever had been eaten entirely appeared in a haze of light, as if waking from a dream with their wings cocooning them as they looked around in confusion. The clouds went into overtime mending all the broken walls and busted buildings, sealing the imperfections in a matter of minutes.

Yugi's prayer continued still, urging on the rain to fall harder, heavier, until the last of the blackness and emptiness dissolved away. Only then did the rainfall stop, fading away in show of glitter and steam. Malik and Ryou floated off the edge of the stairway leading up to the mountain, staring down at their friend but unsure if it was safe to venture closer with so much raw energy filling the space around him.

And then, to their shock and horror, Yugi fell. Both of them dropped down like bullets. Closer and closer, with their hearts in their throats, they scurried to close the distance.

Fifty feet.

Forty feet.

Their earlier tears were blurring their vision, hindering better advancement. Cramps started in their shoulders as they clamped their wings tightly to their sides to speed down faster. The only thing on their side was the fact that Yugi's wings were opened as he fell, catching the wind and slowing him while he remained unconscious and unaware of approaching the barrier separating their realm from the human one.

Thirty feet.

Twenty feet.

Ryou was the first to notice and he cried out as if in pain. He opened his wings to catch the wind and then pushed down to force himself to move faster still. "Malik," he shouted. The Egyptian had seen it too and was pushing to go faster somehow.

The edges of Yugi's wings had begun to shimmer in the light and magic lifted from them like sparkling dust, eating away at the feathers. Outstretching the hands, they begged to fly faster, to move further, before their only advantage skimmed out of reach.

Pale fingers caught the edge of Yugi's gold-rimmed ivory robes first. Ryou pulled him closer, slowing them down easily just as they reach the silver net barrier that separated the realms. When Malik reached them he gathered them both up in his arms and clung to them as he begged for Yugi, whose feathers just finished vanishing, to wake up. Neither of them wanted to think about what Yugi's wings disappearing meant.

Not one to give up, Malik very nearly slapped his shorter friend. "Damn it, Yugi," he cursed. "Wake up! This isn't a game anymore!"

If it weren't for Malik's arm around his waist Ryou would've fallen. _It's not fair. He saved everybody!_

It didn't take long for either of them to notice that the longer they held onto Yugi the lighter his body became, not only in weight but in color as well. They gasped, holding him at arm's length in shock, as his body slowly drifted into transparency. An invisible grasp held him above the silver separation net, hovering in the air while the rest of Yugi followed wherever his wings had gone to.

"Angels can't die a second time," Ryou muttered to himself, curling into a ball and sobbing. "Angels can't die a second time."

Malik's fists curled inward but this time there was nothing for him to strike out at. Instead he turned his voice skyward and roared. "He didn't do anything wrong," he bellowed. "He didn't do anything fucking wrong! Take me instead!" He repeated the phrase over and over until he felt his lungs begin to give out.

For several long moments, the exact time neither of them were sure of, Serenity drifted down next to them. A silkily scaled, snake-like white dragon with rounded, sinewy wings was draped around her neck like a boa and in its mouth was a golden envelope. It opened its tiny maw as if to yawn and dropped its parcel into waiting hands before popped out of existence. Though letters from the Higher Order were few and far between, none of the angels could mistake the silver-lining cloud emblem holding the seal of the envelope shut.

"They never get involved with angel matters," Ryou gasped.

Malik glared at the offending letter and ripped it open in a hurry, not in a mood for games or trickery. He read it over quickly once and then slower the second time around before eventually reading it allowed. With every word his clutching fingers loosened until, by the end, he was barely holding onto the parchment.

"We, the Higher Order, congratulate Seraphim Yugi on his greatest achievement. It is a sorry state when those with the simplest of tasks cannot even prevent a simple catastrophe as We, the Higher Order, are saddened and disappointed such angels much younger cannot produce the same results as one hundreds of years old.

"As those who witnessed the fading, Guardian Malik and Guardian Ryou are issued with the duty of recovering Seraphim Yugi after his fifteen years sentence."

Malik glared at the first few lines. "Fuck those arrogant bastards for writing it out as if Yugi were still here. And what hell is with the dig about other angels not doing their part. I didn't see them coming down and offering a hand when we were in trouble." Ryou dropped his head onto his shoulder and an instant calm filled him. _Whatever _he thought. _Don't need them. _Then he reread the last couple lines and his eyebrows bunched together, creating a creased V between his eyes. "What does that mean?"

Serenity took the proffered paper and read it slowly. Her eyebrows also creased together before allowing Ryou to have a look. After years of deciphering olden text, riddles were hardly a puzzle to him.

"I've read something about this. I didn't know it would account for Yugi as well since Serenity said the cleansing used a sacrifice."

"Translations aren't always perfect," she defended. "Now what does that letter mean?"

In what Malik had long since dubbed Ryou's research 'grit and spit' mode, the white-haired angel began a description that was lengthy at best and highly scientific at worse, using words that neither of his companion could deal with when they were on the verge of losing patience. After a look from both of them a warm flush covered his pale cheeks and he coughed.

"Sorry," he giggled. Malik rolled his eyes and made a gesture for him to start again. "In loosest terms, what this means is that Yugi is merely in recovering. When an angel loses all their magic their body disintegrates and fades, thus succumbing to a period of time on earth as a human with an angelic soul. Because Yugi died at the human age of fifteen it will take fifteen years for his power supply to build back up before the vessel is ready to be discarded."

Malik sputtered. "What the hell? I've never heard anything about that before?"

Ryou smirked and tapped his friend's mouth shut. "That's because you don't read, Malik. Every time I find something of interest and try to share it with you, you grow bored and fall asleep on the couch. Next time you'll listen to what I have to say, eh?"

"So, Yugi can come back," Serenity whispered. In her relief she collapsed back onto a nearby floating cloud and collapsed into a fit of giggled. "I can't believe it. He isn't gone at all."

Ryou and Malik stared down at the separating net and then past it to where the surface world was hidden below. Yugi was somewhere down there. How were they ever supposed to find him? And simultaneously, they both looked up at hearing the same sound, a sound that Serenity hadn't heard at all, for it came from within their heads.

The sound of a baby crying.

"What do we do until then," Ryou asked, staring back down at the surface.

Malik shrugged, following his gaze. "How should I know? Get on with life, I suppose. How will we know when to go?"

"I'll need to look into it. I just know that we can't be late."

"There's a time limit now."

Ryou nodded, narrowing his brown eyes as he remembered that specific passage he came across. He prayed it wouldn't come to that. "After the allotted time of the vessel has been passed and no retrieval is given his wings would grow past the human flesh and rip his very body to pieces. If the process is complete without proper guidance Yugi will regain no recollection what or who he was and would be driven mad. Every past event this has happened there was no recovery."

Malik shuddered and swore under his breath, running his hands through his shoulder length hair. "Let's just not be late then."

_Down_to_Earth_

Hey all! Don't get mad, I know it's been forever. Seriously, forever! I've been working on my novels and trying to get them published but I've been proverbially kicked out on my ass each and every time. Then, lo and behold, a yes! It's an e-book so I was kinda bummed, but, hey, gotta start somewhere.

And then about 2-ish in the morning I was lying awake and couldn't sleep and thought about my fanfiction I've left sitting unfinished and wanted to kick myself. I did look at it a few times, but each time I felt myself flinching at the mere thought of continuing it when I thought the whole writing of it sucked. Genius plan emerges! Rewrite the stupid thing! So, here I am, rewriting it and frankly I think it looks a hell a lot of better. Pure excitement follows. Don't know how fast I'll be, but I will try my hardest not to let this one go years without an update again.

Thanks to all my faithful readers for sticking to it and being patient.

Let me know what you think!


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

_Pain. Pain everywhere. And exhaustion bone deep and weary. _

_ Have to save them. They need to be saved. _

_ Feathers. Beautiful feathers. Ivory lined with true gold that shimmered in the light. _

_ The sense of falling. Falling. Wind crashing and eyes burning. The ground! The ground was rushing closer and closer until the sound of a baby cried…_

Yugi Motou woke with a start, crashing into the hardwood floor in a tangle of blankets and limbs. He gasped for air as blood pounded in his ears and sweat beaded along his forehead while the last of his shakes slipped from his bones.

"That dream again," he mumbled. It was the same dream he'd had ever since he turned fifteen a few days before. His nerves were still on pins and needles, as if some part of them remembered the pain. A new bruise was already forming on his rear from having tumbled from the bed in a fit for the third time that week.

The birds outside were chirping merrily and he could smell smoky bacon and fluffy eggs wafting up the staircase. His stomach rumbled with a pleased growl, but rather than dressing and going down to eat, Yugi just curled up against the wall and yawned. Exhaustion was the only thing he felt. Though it was only a handful of times the lack of sleep was starting to take its toll. Besides, it wasn't as if he was truly hungry. His stomach grumbled, sure, but only a few boats of toast and he'd be full.

It was all so strange for Yugi that he ran a quick hand through his mottled hair. Ever since his birthday his body had gone through such drastic, rushed changes that he was unable to keep up with all of them. First it was the dreams when he'd gone to bed that one night and every night since, the sense that nagged his thoughts telling him there was something he needed to be doing but could never remember what, and his appetite had severely diminished on top of his muscles always feeling soar. As far as he could recall his friends never mentioned any of those when they turned fifteen.

His grandpa had noticed the changes too and would give him a look every time Yugi pushed his plate away. He couldn't worry him more by bringing up his concerns. All that would end up happening was that he'd go to the doctor's. That single thought always brought on all the shivers. Yugi hated doctors.

Several miles away from the Motou household, on the very edges of Domino City, a twister spiraled from the clouds and a beam of silver and purple with streaks of bright yellow. Two figures shot out from the opening in a blur of colors and feathers that faded the closer they reached the ground. In a blur of purple and brown, leaves exploded around them and a resounding boom stretched around the area.

In a tangle of legs and arms, both groaned and began the long series of unknotting from each other.

"Malik, that's my leg!"

The Egyptian stopped and stared before giving another tug, earning a yelp from his British companion. "Oops," he chuckled. "My bad."

When they managed to gain their balance they gave a look around and each heaved a dramatic sigh, already seeing their task was not going to be altogether easy. Ryou ran a hand through his long, white tresses and flinched when his fingers came away with a handful of leaves and twigs. He was just grateful no one had witnessed their less than ungraceful entrance. Malik was in much of the same opinion as he also removed debris from his sun-bleached hair.

"Tell me again why we couldn't just fly down," he insisted, hissing when his fingers caught a knot.

Ryou reached over to help. "Something about humans being less likely to notice. It's not like we were given a full explanation before we were pushed."

Both turned when the sound of a car zoomed by and were met by a less than pleasant sight. Garbage littered the side of the road. Soda cans and plastic bottles, candy wrappers, sandwich wrappers, plastic and bits of glass. The sight of it all was something out of a horror film, but the smell was nauseating and both angels were quick to cover their noses as they stared.

"You would think these animals would be more respectful towards their own planet," Malik grumped as he dragged a garbage can from the nearby rest area and started throwing the nearest bits in. He couldn't just leave it. "They have to live here after all."

Ryou grabbed up an armful of junk and tossed it in, wiping his hands off on the jeans he'd changed into before the fall. Both of them wore similar denim pants and canary yellow shirts with white stripes, both with a bit of spending cash for more clothes if it was needed.

"Everyone makes mistakes," he told his friend, trying his hardest not to hate humans even when they annoyed him. Ever since Yugi's disappearance he'd been making an effort to believe in the mortals they protected, but it was hard. Very hard. Even though it was much more subtle, he could tell Malik was also trying to believe again.

Though the banter was light it caused a light pressure to bloom in both of the angels' chests. Neither had seen Yugi since his fading, no one was allowed to search for him ahead of time. Just when it seemed as though depression would hit and the guilt from that fateful afternoon fifteen years ago a breeze began to lift up, as if brushing away the negative thoughts and forcing the pair to remember what it was they were doing on the surface.

Ryou closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, allowing it to play with his white tresses. "Yugi loved the wind," he mused. "Loved to fly in it and allow it to take him where it would."

The tanned angel beside him nodded and wrapped his fingers around Ryou's hand, giving him a slight tug to bring him back to the now. "I want him back too," he told him, "and that's why we're here. It's time for Yugi to come home. Even now his power his pulsing at the seams and his previous memories have been leaking into his dreams. We just have to follow those signs like a beacon."

Following the path, the park opened up to bustling streets and semi-tall buildings featuring mostly video game arcades and card shops with teenagers in various high school uniforms walking on the sidewalk. Both angels glanced up at the iron arch at the entrance of the park and read the words: Domino City Park. Simultaneously Ryou and Malik glanced back at the humans and watched them with fascination. Neither of them had been among humans for years that it was stunning to witness the amount of changes that happened in those years. With a quick look at each other they knew they were equally eager to explore the changes, but neither of them had time to dawdle.

Before departing for the surface the angels had decided on the best course of action. Since Yugi would be the same age as these high schoolers then they would also pose as students to learn the popular hangouts and spread their search out from there. Just as they were about to head towards their designated hotel something across the street caught the Egyptian's eyes and he grabbed onto Ryou to pull him back.

"Holy Ra, Ry! Look," Malik hissed, pointing.

On the opposite sidewalk strolling along and window browsing was a trio of male teens. The one closest to the street had long, spiky white hair and narrowed brown eyes. Ryou was so shocked at looking at an almost mirror reflection of himself on the dark side that he nearly didn't take in the other two traveling with him. Closest to the shops and at the same height as the first was a young man with rare violet eyes and styled, sandy-blonde hair. Malik was somehow able to pull his eyes away from his shadowy replica to join Ryou in his jaw-dropping stare down at the third, centered teen who stopped to point at the something in the window.

_It can't be _both angels though as they looked him over. _Can it?_

The resemblance was terrifying and uncanny at the same time. With gravity defying, tri-colored hair though the pair thought for sure their search was over in the span of twenty minutes. Surely it had to be some kind of record. The height was correct if not a little bit taller and all the features were similar, but then the male shifted and the light glinted into what could only be described as ruby red irises in a pair of slanted eyes. Both angels felt their hearts drop into their stomachs.

Mouth gone dry, Ryou spoke with a cotton mouth. "You don't think that was _our _Yugi, do you?" Fear laced his voice and he could feel his palms go slick with sweat. He resembled the fallen angel so much, but both were horrified that his human life had too drastically altered his soul for him to revert back to his angelic state.

Shutting  
his eyes, Malik recounted the last few minutes. He did have to admit that the similarities between Yugi and that particular teen were startling. And what of their two dopplegangers; that was beyond strange. Was it possible there was a human out there that resembled an angel in some way? That would be silly. However, some part of him refused to believe their charge had so readily fallen into their laps, so to speak. That person may have looked like Yugi, but it couldn't have been him. Yugi's soul was much too pure to alter. If anything it wasn't a high school they should be looking for, it was a church.

"No," he finally insisted, snapping open his own violet eyes. "It's impossible. That was just a look-alike, a punk who's going nowhere fast." He was referring, of course, to the fact that the trio were the only teens not in school uniforms, but tight leather pants and jackets along with the hints of tattoos on their own dopplegangers and piercings on the third.

Ryou glanced over at the corner they disappeared around. "Should we follow them anyway?"

Malik sniffed and headed in the opposite direction. "Absolutely no," he grunted back, hardly waiting for his albino buddy to catch up. "We'll continue with our original plan, Ryou, and forget all about seeing them. The chances that any of them have ever even seen Yugi passing on the street is more unlikely than the chances that Yugi will walk by in a few seconds and fall right into our laps."

Grinning, Ryou agreed, jogging to catch up. "Definitely. The sooner we get enrolled in one of the schools the better. I don't want the worst to happen."

In front of their small one bedroom apartment, Ryou whipped out the keys he'd been given before their departure. He grinned at Malik and unlocked the door. "Oh, honey, our first place," he teased, causing the Egyptian to snort. While the albino set to work putting clothes and bathroom bobbles away, Malik pulled out the cell phone that had been given to him. There was only one number programmed in and he dialed it.

"HVN Hotline," a childlike voice came from the other line.

"Hey, it's Malik. I need to – ."

"You're late," the voice scolded and the sound of fingers tapping came through the speaker. "According to my notes you arrived an hour ago. Why didn't you call immediately upon landing?"

Violet eyes rolled and Malik shut the bathroom door so he wouldn't disrupt what was left of Ryou's sleep. "Never mind that, Mokuba. We had enough problems finding our building in this place. Why couldn't they send Yugi to a middle of nowhere dust town to recuperate where his hair would stand out like a bushfire?"

The young angel on the other end snorted and for several minutes all Malik could hear was him trying to control his laughter. "Seriously," Mokuba insisted, finally under control. "Regular check-ins or I'll have to report you. Now what's up?"

"Yeah, yeah; sure, no problem. Ryou and I need some school uniforms and enrollment in one of the high schools in this city."

There was some clicking in the background and the sound of Mokuba clacking his teeth. "Alright, not a problem. The nearest and biggest one is Domino High. I'm assuming the more students you had to look through the better."

"You assume correctly," Malik teased.

More keyboard taps and then the victorious beeping of a printer warming up. "All done. I'll have uniforms sent to you later along with schedules and you just have to go meet the principal and play the part of exchange students."

Malik met his gaze in the mirror and felt like rolling his eyes. They were in the middle of Japan with an Egyptian and Englishman angels. "I don't think that's going to be very difficult," he joked, then hung up.

Malik woke with the sun, birds chirping and lights filtering through the semi-shut blinds. Color splashed across the walls that mesmerized his eyes. Normally this would be the perfect occasion to roll over and go back to sleep, but one thought of Yugi and why he woke up in an unfamiliar bedroom with Ryou only a few feet away brought the previous day rushing back. For several seconds Malik could only stare at the ceiling and wonder how the heck they were supposed to be find their lost friend before time ran out. Then he rolled off the squeaky mattress and stretched.

On his way to the bathroom he peaked in the closet and felt his lips curl. Though the trip was short and easy and much of what he and Ryou had done the day before was simply settle in, both must've been dead asleep regardless. Neither of them had so much as stirred when their school uniforms had been brought in.

With mint on his breath and a pearly white smile, Malik drifted out of the bathroom towel-drying his hair. He almost went nose to nose with Ryou who grinned sleepily at him.

"Morning. Our uniforms are here."

Ryou nodded, prevented from speaking from another yawn. Before closing the bathroom door behind him, he pointed to a manila envelope sitting by the door. "That came while you were in the shower. It's got information on those three teens we saw yesterday."

After the water started running Malik slipped the photos out and felt his gut clench. The first one his eyes caught on were the stunning red eyes of the Yugi look-alike. He'd never seen eyes like that before. Alluring and oddly seductive they were and Malik knew a lot about seduction, not that he would ever want to sample it. Though the differences between this guy and Yugi were blindingly obvious, the similarities were too and it would be too weird. Flipping the card over was a list of facts.

"Yami Taka," he read off the top. Following his name was a birthday, two years older than what Yugi would be when they found him: seventeen. Both of his parents were alive yet he had zero connections with him. He chose to live on his own when he dropped out of school. Bakura, his white-haired companion, and Marik, Malik's own bleached blonde twin, were the same.

Then his eyes landed on his own shadowed copy and he felt some unfamiliar stir when he met those matching eyes.

"I don't even remember what school was like when I was alive," he admitted sheepishly, breaking the spell that had come over the Egyptian. Malik shrugged, putting the pictures away.

"How different can it be?"

Blood drained from their faces, Ryou and Malik nearly crawled from their homeroom with their arms stuffed with books, limbs ready to fall off from the weight.

"Do you remember getting back pains from schoolwork," Ryou huffed, dropping the overweight texts in his locker. Malik could only shrug lightly before the pain in his shoulders made him switch to grunting. School had apparently changed more than either of them could've guessed.

Wading through the tide of students in the narrow hallways, it was nearly impossible to concentrate on any one person. Not even the small bit of magic they were allowed to use on the surface made it easy to take in the details of one student before they shoved by in place of another. By the time half their classes were finished and eight different sections of the school had been covered between the both of them, there wasn't the slightest hint of Yugi or anyone that looked like him.

"I always wondered why mortals complained so heavily of school," Malik grumbled, stifling a yawn even while trying to eat some of his lunch. "All I hear is blah blah blah. Those teachers don't know how to make anything sound interesting. What a drone."

Ryou nodded, running his hands through his hair. "I did hear something about an arcade students like to go to after school though. We should check on it."

The other agreed, though both did wonder how teenagers found the strength to go anywhere once classes were over after carrying around a mountain of books all day.

Together they were able to draw up a basic map of the school in the dirt, circling the spots they'd been to thus far. Malik pointed to one spot where his and Ryou's next classes were. "I'll go around the floor this way and you take the stairs and come back down at this end. We'll be able to cover more ground and look for Yugi that way and then meet up just before the bell rings in case we were able to spot him."

Ryou nodded, though he did secretly wonder why someone wasn't keeping tabs on Yugi from the minute his host body was born so that finding him was as simple as getting those files on the three teens from the day before. His first thought was that it was possible it was also a test of some kind for those doing the searching. When he brought this up to Malik though the Egyptian just shrugged and told him not to worry, that this was the way it had been done since the beginning, before files could even be brought up in the blink of an eye. Resources were short enough as they were without having to follow every single angel that ended up falling. Even so, as they broke up at the hallway and Ryou climbed the stairs to the second floor, he couldn't help recalling the events from when Yugi faded and wondered if there was perhaps something more that could've been done.

_Are we in danger of losing our wings _was his last though before forcing his mind to focus on looking through the tide of students.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

In an eruption of unbearable laughter, two teens fell off the moth-eaten sofa they'd been occupying and into the ragged carpet with their legs sticking up the air. Their third and final member glared from where he stood, crossing his arms and wishing he had a hose to aim at them.

"You bastards," he cursed, raising his voice over his two friends' laughing fits. "I was trying to be honest!" His breath was heaving when he finished.

Both shot up, slapping their hands over their mouths in an effort to control their relentless giggles. After a moment of being sure the no one had heard them, they released the breath they'd been holding.

"You're insane, Yami," the white-haired teen snorted, his callous brown eyes glistening with annoyance. "Don't go shouting because your piss drunk. Someone will hear and it's a miracle nobody's caught us in this rundown garbage heap yet."

The garbage heap he spoke of, of course, was the rundown apartment building in the middle of the downtown area, considered the 'shady side of town'. That was mostly because all the buildings had been built tall for more living space so the sun rarely hit the street. Nowadays it was pretty empty except the scruffy homeless person or lady of the night looking for a tumble in the sack. Still, there was the occasional police car that scouted the area. After dropping out of school together the trio claimed the empty apartment building for themselves temporarily since it was deemed unsafe and scheduled for demolition. That was two years ago and, as they were still living there, they figured the city had completely forgotten about the place, which suited them just fine. Any money the boys managed to scrounge up went to money and smokes.

The one called Yami narrowed his eyes further and dropped into the opposite armchair, kicking his legs over the stronger of the two arms to stare at the barren wall. "I'm trying to speak my mind and you guys have a convenient case of the giggles. Don't you get bored sneaking in and sneaking out, smoking it up for two years straight?"

"Of course it's fucking boring," Marik piped up, rummaging through his pockets for the crumbled up pack he knew he had on him. He grumbled at the last butt staring him in the face, but lit it up anyway and inhaled deeply, letting the nicotine sit in lungs for a moment before puffing out a dark grey cloud. "But that's got to be the lamest plan I've ever heard leave your yap."

Glaring, crimson eyes shut as Yami pinched the bridge of his nose to ignore the onslaught of a headache storming his way. He loved his two best friends, he really did, but at this point reminding himself of this fact did little to sway the temptation of throwing something at the both of them. He blamed it on the fact that he'd been hanging around them nonstop since he moved out of his parents' house.

Now, after two years of doing what he wanted, taking things at his pace, he realized he wanted something more. That there had to be something more out there. He'd always felt that way, the way he'd never truly connected with his parents or that he belonged anywhere. A part of him never seemed to fit in no matter how popular he seemed when surrounded by other people. As he stood, there was nothing left to lose by following through with his plan except further disappointment and he was no stranger to that.

"There's nothing wrong with wanting to go back to school," he muttered, reaching under the armchair to find the stress ball he'd tossed there a few days ago when he'd been trying to argue himself out of this ridiculous plan. He hated school like everybody else, but he still ended up reaching the same conclusion and making his decision.

"Aren't you guys tired of hiding from the cops and dodging our parents when we see them in town? Only being able to get just enough food to avoid the stomach growling? Every single time we walk down the street I can just hear people say, 'look at those raucous and negligent teenagers. They'll be taking over the city in gangs next.'" When he glanced back the Marik and Bakura were staring. "What?"

"Where in the seven hells did you learn words like that," Bakura teased.

Marik nodded, wrapping an arm around his buddy's shoulders and chuckling with him. "Yeah, you sound like one of those good-for-nothing bookworms back in that hell hole of a school who always had their noses up their asses."

Grumbling, Yami turned his attentions back to the stress ball and he suddenly found himself wishing he had a second one for both hands. Something dark stirred in him, something that left a gaping hole reminiscent to what a stab wound might feel like, except there was no hole and no blood. It was happening again, that sinister sensation that was a clawed hand to his insides that made it hard to breathe, hard to keep a clear head. It was partially the reason why he dropped out of school and left his mom and dad behind, because he'd been terrified at fifteen years old that he'd become the next Jack the Ripper.

"Just shut up! You make it sound like reading is a bad thing." Reading was the only thing that he had. It felt…familiar? Yami supposed that was a good way to describe it.

Bakura's jaw dropped and Marik stared like a gaping fish. "You've been using your spare cash on books," the two of them shouted. Bakura crossed his arms and scowled. "The next time you want the coin for drugs you are so getting denied." Marik nodded, dropping his chin onto Bakura's shoulder and glaring. Just when you thought you knew a person…

The stress ball flattened in Yami's hands and he threw himself out of the chair and stormed towards the door, grabbing his coat on the way. "Fine," he growled, not caring in the least about the drugs and more about his two friends' attitude over his choices. It wasn't like he was forcing them to go back. "I hope you two enjoy each other's company. Now you can go about your nightly activities without me having to bang on the wall. If you change your minds you'll know where to find me." And he left without looking back.

Marik turned to Bakura with a mischievous smirk, his groin already stirring at the mention of their nightly ritual to help them sleep on their gnarly mattresses. He slipped a hand under the albino's shirt and tweaked a nipple. "Have you ever heard him bang on the wall," he wondered.

Grabbing a fistful of bleached blonde hair, Bakura twisted it around his wrist and licked a trail up the exposed next. "Who can hear anything with you screaming as loud as you do?"

A loud moan escaped Marik at the rough treatment. "You're just as loud as me, Baku."

Giving a rough tug until a hiss left Marik's lips, Bakura bit into his neck. "Only when it's a good orgasm," he retorted, then shoved his hands away and kicking him to the floor. "And don't call me Baku!"

Flopping down across the crooked wood floor, Marik attempted to mimic Yami has he crossed his arms. "Fine, if that's how you feel I'll just start refusing you."

Agreeing, Bakura stood and walked down the hall towards the room he usually shared with the other. Teasingly, he stripped off his shirt along the way and tossed it back towards the living room. Within seconds he heard footsteps running after him and he turned just in time to meet Marik's dry lips.

Yami turned the familiar corner and stepped into the one neighborhood he never thought he'd approach willingly, his red eyes already seeking out the one house he was headed towards at the opposite end of the block. The ridiculous cow mailbox at the end of the driveway made it easy to pinpoint.

"Wonder what they'll say," he said to the night air, mostly to watch his breath fog up and float away. "Raze will complain about my smoke breath and demand I brush my teeth," he predicted, "Then make me change my clothes into something more suiting to him."

Rustling through his jeans he found the last of his smokes and trusty lighter. He took a long drag after lighting up and already felt his head go light and airy. "Might as well no disappoint him," he snarked.

When he reached the blue-grey house with the cow mailbox, Yami could only stare at the white-washed front door. Taking a deep breath, he rapped his knuckled lightly on the wood before he wussed out and then waiting, leaning against the adjacent wall and finding himself wishing he hadn't gone through his cigarette so damn fast.

The door cracked open and the first thing Yami caught was the doe-eyed gaze of Anni, his mother. He knew luck was on his side then because Anni wouldn't slam the door in his face.

"Yami?" Tears pricked up in her brown eyes and she couldn't resist throwing her arms around her son. "Is it really you," she sobbed onto his shoulder.

Sighing, Yami patted her on the back, feeling awkward to be talking to her again as if they'd just seen each other that morning. "Who else would come knocking on your door with spiky hair and red eyes?"

"I'm so glad you back," she exclaimed, squeezing him. He was surprised at the strong grip, though he didn't bother trying to wriggle out of it like he used to. It wouldn't do to get on their bad side already. He'd wait a few hours for that.

A gruff cough from the doorway caused Yami's eyes to shift from his meek mother to his overbearing father. How the two of them ever hit it off, Yami did _not _want to know. "I see the slacker returned," he sneered. "Knew you'd come sniveling back eventually. Never were very good taking care of yourself; you're such a bum." Anni balked up to protest, but the words never made it past her lips.

Yami smirked at him, shifting the arm around his mother's shoulder to her waist. "Actually, Raze, I thought I might be able to lighten your wallet. I need a new pack of cigs."

Raze's black eyes widened even as his face turned an angry purple. With his jaw clenched he grabbed onto the shoulder of Yami's jacket and shoved him towards the street. "Out," he shouted even as he pulled his wife off and pushed her behind his much larger frame, ignoring her whimpering.

Hands rose in mock surrender and a few chuckles escaped Yami. "I'm just kidding, old man. I'd never sink that low to you." He straightened out his jacket and smoothed the wrinkles from the collar. "Actually I gave it some thought and I want to finish school off. I got bored and decided to finish my teens off with a bang."

"You've been with those lazy friends of yours all this time, haven't you? It's a wonder you're still alive, boy," he snapped.

Crimson eyes glared defiantly back and the want to defend his buddies flared. It was all he could to stifle it back, not wanting to give Raze the satisfaction of refusing him. "It's fine. We looked out for each other," he argued. "So whadya say?"

There was a moment of strained silence while Anni looked back and forth between her husband and her son, hope shining in her eyes. In a low, threatening, no-nonsense tone Raze answered, "You have to swear to focus on your studies this time. A single call from the principal and we're through for good."

"If that's what makes you happy," he retorted, which was Yami talk for 'duh'.

Another long period of silence passed and then, "Fine, get your ass in here. We have some more rules to go over."

"Yeah, yeah; fine."

"Good," Raze sneered, narrowing his eyes at his son, not trusting his sudden change in behavior or attitude. "The more appropriate clothes you left behind are still in your room. Change immediately and brush your teeth _thoroughly _to get that ass smell out of your mouth. There will be no more smoking, is that clear?"

Rolling his eyes, Yami knew it would be just as he predicted. Good thing he already used up his last one and he knew Marik or Bakura would give him one if he wanted the buzz that badly. Inwardly he smirked, proud of himself for still knowing how his parents reacted even after two years of no contact with them.

He nodded as he made his way inside. "No problem," Yami eventually yelled at the top of the stairs.

Yugi grinned and waved early over at two of his best friends, Joey and Tristan, running to catch up with them. "Hey guys," he greeted, slightly out of breath. "Teacher held me back. Were you waiting long?"

The blonde, Joey, clapped him over the back with a large grin. With a Brooklyn accent he said, "Don't worry about it, Yug. We just got here."

Tristan nodded, double-checking his hair to be sure it was still in place before throwing an arm around Yugi's shoulders. "Come on. I want to get the good table.

Several blocks down was the Three Pyramids Arcade where anybody who loved Duel Monsters would feel right at home. As soon as they were through the doors Tristan made a beeline for the last table in the Dark Magician section, right next to the arcade games and pool table. Once his jacket claimed it for them he jumped over to the nearest game. Joey was right there next to him, cheering, but Yugi slumped in the booth and blocked out the sun by hiding his face in crossed arms.

All those constant dreams he'd been having lately were starting to affect his sleep and he'd started dozing off in class, which only meant more dreams. His English teacher had been concerned for his health since that wasn't like him, but Yugi just blamed it on excess homework and she let him go reluctantly. It wasn't like he could say he'd been having dreams that felt like another lifetime every night. Thankfully his friends were always able to shake him out of the funk thinking about the strange dreams caused, even if only for a few hours at a time. He couldn't be more grateful for such amazing people in his life, but there was still a nagging in the back of his head caused by his nightly, unconscious excursions that there was something more, something important that needed doing.

The game center offered loud noises and louder music, large video screens showing the current tournament going on in America. Among the multitude of voices there was one familiar one that stood out amongst the rest, mostly as a string of curses at the explosive 'GAME OVER' across the nearest DDR machine. Joey and Tristan snickered as they rejoined the booth along with Duke just as Tea started throwing more quarters into the machine.

"I wish she would just give that game up already. She sucks at it," Tristan whispered, checking to make sure the scary brunette across the room hadn't somehow heard over her huffing.

Joey shook his head, chugging at some water and chewing on the ice cubes. "Tea can't dance worth shit and everyone knows it. I wish she'd stop following us here though. She doesn't even like Duel Monsters. I've asked my koi to sick his body guards on her, but he said he wouldn't waste the time or the effort."

The brunette beside him snickered, whipping out his comb to fix his hair sprayed-to-a-point hair. "Big CEO Seto Kaiba, trust him not to throw money at Tea trash," he laughed, sliding in beside Duke.

"She got here about ten minutes ago and about twice as many game overs since," the dice expert snickered, rolling a diamond shaped di between his nimble fingers, rings and all.

Joey and Tristan snickered, watching as yet another scream came from Tea's direction. Before another word could be said though Seto walked in and headed their way. The honey blonde quickly made room for him, latching onto his arm when he sat.

A frustrated yell came from DDR and soon after security was 'escorting' Tea out, kicking and screamed. Joey turned to Seto with puppy eyes. "Koi, are you sure you can't - ?" He didn't even get to finish from the glare cutting him off halfway. "Meanie, Seto," he pouted.

Sighing, Seto wrapped an arm around Joey's shoulder and pulled him in closer. The blonde instantly brightened up at the attention he was receiving in such a public area. Had his lover really been a puppy then the CEO knew his tail would be wagging at full speed right then. "I told you I'm not going to waste the time or energy on that nonentity," he explained.

Duke rolled his eyes, slapping his dice onto the table for the resounding clack they made. "Can we please talk about something less retching," he pleaded.

"Or someone," Joey piqued up excitedly. "Duke, you saw, in our algebra class; that new guy? The white-haired hottie?"

Smirking, the emerald eyes lit up with interest. "Oh, yes," he chuckled. "How could I not notice? There was another exchange student in my history class too. Very tan with the most unusual bleached blonde hair and rare violet eyes. Both stood out quite nicely."

Seto's ice blue eyes narrowed when he spotted Joey licking his lips at the mention of someone other than him. He quickly pulled him into his chest and whispered into his ears, "You wouldn't be looking elsewhere, would you?"

Snickering, Joey shook his head and cuddled in closer, completely content to stay there all day if Seto allowed it. "Don't worry, Seto. You're the only one for me, but if you saw them you'd admit they're lookers."

"Definitely worth salivating over," Duke agreed.

Deciding to humor the duo, he asked for more info, but kept a firm hold on Joey's waist.

"Oh, they're much too gorgeous to describe on looks alone. It's like this aura around them that makes them stand out, like they're really something special. It was so surreal," Duke squealed. "It's something you'd have to see to believe."

Ice blue eyes narrowed. "Try harder," he demanded. "I have to know when I'm looking for."

Sighing, the dice master nodded and closed his eyes. He cleared his throat as he tried to bring up the right words to give them both justice. His first thought was to immediately zero in on their voices. Just thinking about them made his insides heat up and his groin stir. Oh god that English accent on the albino was just so adorable and sexy at the same time it was hard to want to stay hands off to keep him innocent or just throw him on a desk and have his evil Duke way with him. The other one in his history class though was just too yummy to ignore though. He gave off a standoffish vibe that was still alluring.

"Oh my god! Seto, there they are!" Joey's voice snapped Duke's eyes open and he followed the blonde's finger to the entrance where sure enough the two new exchange students had just walked in together. It was like an orgy's dream come true in Duke's imagination.

Yugi just barely managed to crack his eyes open to look at them. Seto also followed his lover's finger. Even he felt his tight jaw loosen a bit at the sight of them. "God…you're right," he whispered, unable to tear his eyes away.

Joey bit his lip at his lover's reaction, but then squared his jaw and nodded, feeling resolved. Crawling over Yugi's lap he tumbled onto the floor and then onto his feet again, running over to the duo still standing at the door and having a look around. They spoke for a minute and then he started tugging them in the direction of their table with a large grin plastered on his face. When they did reach the table though they stopped and stared with their mouths hanging open before they shook it off and smiled politely.

"Gang, this is Ryou and Malik," he gestured to each one respectively. "That's Seto, my koi, so you can't him," he said with a playful glare. "Tristan, Duke, and then Yugi, the shortest fifteen year old you'll ever know."

Everyone sat down, stuffing together in the suddenly crowded booth. Joey was unable to help but notice that the two newcomers kept glancing curiously at Yugi every so often and he wondered if it was attraction or just some weird interest about his gravity- defying, tri-colored hair.

"It's nice to meet all of you," Ryou greeted, remembering to pass his gaze over everyone and not just to look at who he swore up and down was definitely their Yugi. He even lingered a bit on Duke and caught the dreamy look sent his way.

Tristan was about to say something back when an annoyed growl in the air caused everyone except Seto to jump just as Tea slapped her hands on their table. Her eyes were flaming, cheeks vibrant red, and a vein was ready to pop on her forehead. They had no idea how she even got back in the building.

"Why do games that fun have to be such a pain my ass," she barked out. "Does anyone have any more quarters?" When her eyes landed on Ryou and Malik her tone instantly changed and she leaned over enough that a couple more centimeters would've had her spilling out of her already two-sizes-too-small top. "You two are hot!" Leaning across the table she pulled out a couple napkins and sprawled her number across them, shoving one napkin to each of them. "I'm available any time you need me. I could be your perfect angel from heaven."

There was a moment of silence as Ryou and Malik glanced quickly at each other, then they grinned and nodded out of politeness at Tea.

After a moment of silence she glanced at her wristwatch and giggled in what everyone was sure was supposed to sound cute but fell far from the mark. "Whoopsy," she giggled, fluttering her fake eyelashes. "I'm late." Then she finger waved at Ryou and Malik and ran out the door.

Joey grumbled to himself and dropped his forehead onto the table. "That was Tea," he said, mostly for Ryou and Malik since everyone else obviously already knew her and wished they didn't. "She's a total horn-dog slut with a rep for pretty virgins."

A hot blush covered Ryou's cheeks (Duke licked his lips at the sight of it), but Malik remained neutral, staring out the window. "I think we should be going. Thank you for your time," the Egyptian quickly announced, tugging on Ryou's sleeve. Just as fast as they arrived the pair was gone.

"That was sudden," Yugi said, blinking owlishly, mostly to keep from dozing off. "I wonder what happened."

Duke snarled, slamming his fists on the table and startling nearby patrons. "That bitch," he grumbled. "She probably scared the crap out of them, especially Ryou. He's so shy he's most likely traumatized by now."

The smallest one nodded, rubbing his eyes and standing up. If he remained there much longer he'd end up snoozing at the booth and he didn't want to end up scaring nearby people or his friends if he woke up in a weird way from the impending dream. "I need to be going too. I promised grandpa I'd help close the shop for him today. See you later." He grabbed his bag and out the door and almost right into Ryou and Malik hanging out on the sidewalk. They glanced at him when he froze.

"Hey," he said, startled. "Are you guys okay? I know Tea is a bit much to handle at first, but you learn to ignore her."

"We're fine, Yugi. Thank you," Malik told him with a sweet smile, unable to tear his eyes away from the large violet depths of his long-lost friend. His hurt that Yugi hadn't been able to recognize them when they were introduced a few minutes ago had to be shoved down deep as Malik reminded himself repeatedly that it was only temporary. _Soon _he told himself. _Soon we'll able to take him home. _He desperately wanted to start to ritual to give Yugi his memories back, but now was not the time or place.

Ryou was having similar thoughts and it ached in his chest something terrible not to be able to shake him and demand that he remember who they were.

The youth nodded, smiling brightly. "Oh, alright then. Well, I really need to be running but it was nice meeting you. You should hang out with us again sometime." Turning, he hiked up his backpack and started off down the street. Malik and Ryou watched him go longingly, waving until he disappeared along with their smiles.

"Do we have to wait," Malik whispered.

Ryou nodded, dropping his head onto the other angel's shoulder. "Unfortunately so. We have to wait until he trusts us or he won't be able to feel at ease around us alone."

Malik grumbled, but nodded. "Soon. For sure soon," he promised.


	4. Simple Connections

"Hey, Yami," Bakura greeted as he saw their 'lost comrade in arms,' as him and Marik were beginning to call him after no seeing him or long. "It's been a while."

"How goes the studies," Marik asked, half hoping their friend had come to apologize for his foolish mistake weeks ago.

Three weeks had flown by since Yami first said he wanted to return to school and since then the duo hadn't seen or heard from their bud. They were beginning to wonder if he was still mad at them for laughing, but Yami had never been one to hold a grudge against them for long. Low and behold, here he was again. Marik dug into his pocket and tossed his cigarette pack and lighter at the teen, who gave him a grateful look.

"Good," he answered, lighting up and taking a long, relieved drag from the smoke. "Thanks," he sighed, already feeling the tension in his shoulders leaving. His father had forced him toss the rest of his pack out and with no money he couldn't sneak them back in. He knew he could always count on his friends to know exactly what he needed and with the stress of school he definitely needed the nicotine running through his veins. "It's not too late for you," he added hopefully, watching the smoke dance in the air around his head.

"No way, Yami," Bakura sneered, propping his feet up on the table. "I'm livin' la vida loca and loving every minute of it. If I had to go back to that drunk bastard of a father I have now and ask him to take me back I would kill myself." Marik nodded with agreement, taking a swig from the soda can next to him as he mentioned something about Isis and her carrying a pocket knife whenever he was around.

It was true that Marik and his sister were such complete opposites that when Isis finally realized how crazy her brother could be that she became absolutely terrified of him. When Marik found out she carried a sharpened pocket knife on her person whenever he was around he got pissed and left with the thought that his own blood didn't trust him. He refused to ever go back again and dropped out the same time Bakura and Yami did.

Shrugging, Yami put the rest of his cigarette out using the floor and stood up. "Have it your way then, but we'll always be buds."

"Definitely," Marik smirked. "You're stuck with us for life no matter where you live now." Bakura grinned back at him.

Yami smiled slightly, glad that there was at least two people he knew he could always count on to be there for him even when the rest of the world thought he was nothing but trash. "I should go. I still have homework and Mika already threatened to lock me out the last time I was out past ten. I just wanted to check in and see how you guys were."

"Wouldn't want the scholar to get in trouble. See you later, Yami," Bakura waved as Marik got up and gave him a manly hug before seeing him out the door.

From the window they watched Yami walk off towards the more sophisticated part of Domino. The teen shoved his hands in his pocket against the cool breeze and stopped, smiling as he felt the familiar cool plastic of a new cigarette pack and the cool metal of a lighter in one of his pockets. He turned and waved, knowing his friends much be watching. _Marik must've slipped it in as he was saying goodbye_. He was about to open the pack when he heard a slight cough interrupt him.

"Excuse me," a quiet voice said from behind him. Turning Yami saw a much younger and extremely more innocent version of himself. "Sorry, but it looked like you knew you're way around. Can you help?"

Sighing, Yami shoved the cigs into his back pocket and nodded. "What's up?"

"Actually", he flushed and looked away. "I'm so embarrassed," he admitted. "I've never been out this late before but I needed to finish a project for school." Yami glanced at the school jacket and nodded.

"Mr. Jenkins art class, right?" The young teen nodded. "I know him. This must be the 'map of Domino' project he likes to assign."

The violet-eyed teen nodded. "Yeah…it's due soon and I've been kind of busy helping my grandpa with his game shop so I haven't had the time. I was trying to get done before dark….but…." he waved his hand around. "So much for that plan. I've taken so many different turns and now everything looks different in the dark."

Yami chuckled and motioned for the teen to walk with him. "You're not hurt, are you," he asked, looking the boy over carefully. "People in this neighborhood can be kind of rough." At the negative shake of his head, the teen sighed. "Doesn't this project usually go in pairs? Where's your partner?"

"Not enough people," he answered. "I was the odd man out."

Yami knew how that felt too and could easily relate. He introduced himself, taking a left turn at the bent stop sign as they came to it.

"I'm Yugi."

"So where do you live," he asked, waiting for Yugi to mention something looked familiar. Thus far he was still looking around not recognizing anything.

The teen looked around carefully, trying to find something he knew but in the dark it felt like he was in a whole new city. "Uh…you know the game shop just down the street from an old hardware store."

He thought for a moment before crimson eyes widened. "That's on the other side of town. It'll be almost midnight by the time you get home. None of the buses are running this late." Yugi seemed to fall.

"Oh….well, shoot," he laughed, wondering what he should do then. His grandpa, nice as he is, would be furious to know he walking around so late by himself. "What do you suggest? I don't want to keep you."

Chuckling, Yugi turned another corner through a narrow walkway, opening up onto a street with a line of houses that could all use a little work and lot of elbow grease. "You can stay with me. I'm sure my parents won't mind."

"But –."

"It's too far and I would feel bad just pointing you in the direction and letting you go now. I don't want you getting lost and hurt on my account." He didn't why, but Yami suddenly realized he felt very protective of this person and that scared him because he'd only known the guy for fifteen minutes. He decided to blame it on the fact that they looked so alike. He stopped when he suddenly realized the shorter teen wasn't in step beside him anymore and he glanced behind him. "You're walking in your sleep, Yugi," he joked.

Yawning, the little teen rubbed his eyes harshly, trying to hold back another yawn. "Sorry, I'm not usually up this late."

Bending down on one knee, he gestured to his back. "Come on, it's not much further. I'll carry you and no arguing on your part," he stated matter-of-factly, leaving no room for argument.

"What if I'm too heavy," he asked as Yami stood back up, holding onto legs while Yugi held onto his shoulders.

Yami ignored him, walking down the sidewalk as he counted the houses they walked by. It helped to distract him when the younger teen lay his head on his shoulder and quiet mumblings of sleep reached his ears. He resisted chuckling to himself and carried on. When he reached seventeen houses he turned up the pathway and used his foot to knock on the door, not wanting to risk opening it himself and dropping his sleeping cargo.

B R E A K

A few days later Yami was hanging out with Bakura and Marik at the arcade, enjoying pizza and free re-fill sodas. It was Friday night and without homework or curfew to worry about Yami couldn't remember feeling so relaxed in a long time. He was actually surprised when his mom insisted he go have fun and even more so when Mika didn't demand he be home by a certain time. So that was how he found himself laughing with his two friends and enjoying just letting the day go by as it would.

"Oh," Marik sat up straight. "I have to tell you about this guy I saw the other day, Yami," he grinned. "I met him over by the docks a couple days ago. Little shrimp of a guy with shaggy black hair carrying a backpack with cartoony dinosaurs on it. Could've sworn the kid was still in grade school but he actually came up to and willing to pay for a good time. It Bakura hadn't just worn me out I might've been tempted, but then again I've never been interested in selling my body so I might've not have done it at all."

Bakura grinned, remembering that day quite nicely. "So," he said slowly turning back to Yami and taking a long sip from his drink through the straw.

Yami grinned, knowing what Bakura wanted all too well. "So?"

He gave a frustrated groan and pushed his drink away. "Anyone worth your time at that school? You can't tell me you haven't been looking for someone, at least to take the tension out of your shoulders," he nudged him lightly.

Thinking for a moment, a ghost of smiles sneaked onto his face. That one night with Yugi, though nothing had happened even though they shared a bed. It was one thing he never thought would happen. No clothes were tossed off in passion, no kisses were exchanged, nothing sexual ever occurred that night. They slept in the same bed, close together and Yami couldn't help but watch the soft face and think how much of angel Yugi reminded him of as he slept, snoring softly and blowing his bangs away from his breath with each exhale. He honestly had a nice time just being next to the boy and that never had come easily for him.

"Hello, earth to Yami," Marik hollered, waving a hand in front of his face until red eyes blinked.

"I'm fine," he snapped, shoving the tanned hand away from his face good-naturedly.

Leaning over the table, Bakura asked again. "Well?" Blinking, Yami tilted his head and almost, almost felt bad when Bakura let out a frustrated sigh. "Is there anyone worth your time at the school," he asked for a second time, growling at having to repeat himself.

He smiled again. "Yeah, there's this one guy; Yugi. That's about it."

"What's he liked," Marik asked, leaning back in his seat and hearing the white of the cushion when he cracked his back before straightening up again.

"Quiet, almost shy. He likes to play games and spends a lot of time at here after school to hang out with his friends."

"Drugs?"

"Didn't ask."

"Cigs?"

"He didn't seem to mind when I lit up next to him, but he seems much too innocent do to it himself."

Bakura grinned to himself. "I see. And –." He was cut when there was a large thud that came from the other side of the wall. Muffled shouting followed close behind and a scuffle as the sound of metal trash cans fell over. "What the hell is going on?"

Both of his friends stood up and scooted out of the table and he went after them. Curiously they stepped outside and made their way around to the alleyway that stood on the other side of the wall they were sitting at. They saw two cans tipped over with garbage littering all over the ground and a tri-haired teen nursing his backside, gritting his teeth angrily. When violet eyes looked around he groaned and tried to wade through the trash to find his books, shoving them into his backpack, which had one strap that was good and the other that was torn and waving around as he moved.

"Yugi," Yami questioned, startling both of his friends when he stepped closer, kneeling beside the youth when he looked up. "What happened," he asked, taking a lettuce piece out of his hair.

Pouting the teen looked down, refusing to meet his eyes. _What'll Yami think of me now? First I get lost because I've never wandered the town at night before and now jerks at school pick on me since I'm short. _

"Yugi," Yami questioned again, tipping his chin back and seeing a cut on his cheek, just below his eye.

Marik and Bakura knelt on either side of their friend. The albino took out a couple of napkins from his back pants pocket and dabbed lightly at the cut. "He's quite a looker. Just one glance in those eyes and your caught," Marik whispered in his buddy's ear.

There was a slight whimper as Bakura touched a sensitive spot and Yugi pulled away. "I'm sorry, Yami," he whispered. The teen ruffled his hair, staring into his eyes with a rare warm smile. Giving in Yugi looked away, trying to find the rest of his scattered books. "Some jerks from school did this," he explained, finding his math book underneath a half-eaten cheeseburger. "They like making fun of me because I'm short, that's all." He discovered a couple of his notebooks by the cans underneath used napkins and crumpled pieces of paper. He stopped after shoving them in his bag, looking down. "It was that guy from lunch yesterday. You saw him, Yami. Had a black shirt and those jeans with the chain in the pocket."

Gritting his teeth, Yami nodded. He knew exactly who Yugi was talking about. The punk wanted to pick on the violet-eyed teen yesterday but once glance at Yami and he wouldn't come near. Go figure he would go after him when he was alone. "Don't worry anymore, Yugi. I'll get him back for this. I should've realized he'd come after you later." He gestured to his two friends. "You remember I mentioned my friends when you were over that one night, right?" The teen nodded, smiling and nodding at each of them. "This is Bakura," he waved his hand at the albino, "and Marik," the same to the tanned teen with sandy-blonde hair.

Bakura stood up, offering a hand which Yugi took. "Let's get you cleaned up. Some of those bruises are gonna start hurting soon and you don't want to look swollen tomorrow," he joked. The four of them wandered back into the arcade and Marik moved towards the counter, bringing back a cup of ice and a towel.

"Where's Yami going," he asked, seeing his crimson-eyed friend leaving the arcade after making sure Yugi was settled. He was running down the street at top speed and disappearing around another corner.

Bakura smirked, taking the ice and the towel and started clean away some of the dirt. "He's gonna take care of the bastard. Apparently he knows where to find him. Sorry," he added when Yugi flinched away at a painful spot. As he was dabbing at bruise gently with the ice he paused and a thoughtful expression appeared on his face. "You're pretty special, kid. Yami had a well-known protective streak with us and it seems like he hasn't known you for very long. It's surprising since it doesn't seem like he's known you for a long time."

The teen looked away shyly…_If you only knew…_

F L A S H B A C K

_Yugi was half asleep on the bed, his source of warmth had disappeared so he'd woken up to find himself in a comfy bed in a room he'd never seen before. He remembered Yami said he was going to stay at his house for the night before he fell asleep so he assumed that was where he was. _

_The door was cracked open and heard a squeaky floorboard as someone walked by. Shyly, Yugi closed his eyes but his ears perked up when he heard Yami's voice. _

_"Yes, sir, thank you for understanding," he said politely. He was talking on the phone softly just outside the door. "He's sleeping right now. Knocked out on the way here so I carried him. I made sure he wasn't hurt." A long pause and Yami chuckled. "Of course, see. I'll make sure he gets home safely tomorrow morning. Goodnight and I'm sorry for calling at such a late hour again." A beep as he hung up and then moved into the room, closing the door behind him. _

_Yugi's eyes were cracked open just barely and a large blush seeped on his cheeks. He carefully shifted the blankets so it wasn't noticeable. Yami had come in with only low-riding pajama bottoms tied in a loose knot and no shirt. His hair was damp as he used one hand to towel dry it and the hung other hung up the phone on its cradle by the desk in the corner. Little rivulets of water dripped from his wet strands and slid down his tanned, muscular back so sensually that Yugi couldn't help but flush at the sight. _

He even called my grandpa for me_ Yugi thought, the image stuck in his mind even with his eyes closed. _

_The light was flicked of and quiet footsteps approached him and he was careful to stay still. There was gentle hand petting his hair and then adjusting the covers around him. Just then his shoulders and back started to itch, but Yugi didn't want the attention to go away so he the inside of his cheek and tried to ignore it. _

_"You look like such an angel asleep," Yami grinned, letting his fingers slide over one cheek. "Hell, you could be an angel sent to look out for me for all I know. Could it be you're hiding your wings from me underneath your shirt?" Lips touched his forehead and Yugi forced himself not to move, not to blush, not to do anything that would make Yami go away. "I'll look after you too, Yugi," he swore. Carefully he climbed over the sleeping youth and into the spot next to him under the covers. _

_He was nervous about sleeping in the bed now after everything Yami said, but the older just slipped next to him and held him close. It wasn't until he heard the quiet murmurs of sleeping coming from Yami that violet eyes cracked open and looked at him through the darkness. Asleep he had such a gentle face, so relaxed and unguarded that Yugi couldn't help but smile. Carefully and with a blush staining his cheeks a light pink he pressed his own lips to Yami's forehead and then snuggled into him, falling back to sleep quickly. _

E N D

Yugi had been surprised by the words and even more so the actions, but he was glad that Yami hadn't known he'd been awake or he probably wouldn't have acted that way at all. He flinched as the itches flared up on his back again and he let out a quiet moan of a pain, knowing Bakura would just think he hit a sensitive spot again as he dabbed slightly lighter on the bruise he was working on.

He decided right then that something had to be wrong with. _I never even hurt my back _he thought as the itches dulled lightly before settling into a small, noticeable throb that was just enough to make it uncomfortable. Yugi pressed into the wall behind him and was pleased when the pain lessened slightly._ Wings maybe, like how Yami thought? _The teen wanted to laugh. _Yeah right; as if that could ever happen. _


	5. Angelic Mistakes

"Little one," somebody whispered in Yugi's ears. Said person moaned slightly and rolled over onto his side, his back immediately flamed with irritation and he was forced to roll back over to dull the pain. "It's time to get up, Yugi," Yami's voice ushered. Violet eyes cracked open and a throbbing pulse started thrumming behind one of his eyes.

Voice scratchy, Yugi moaned, "It hurts." He really meant his back, which felt like something was actually inside him trying to claw out through his shoulders, but he knew how Yami would take his words. There was a chuckle and then something cold on his face and the teen knew it was an icepack against his swollen blue and purple bruise.

After Yami had taken Yugi home and told him to take a warm shower and should held with some of the soreness he would've otherwise felt. During that time his grandpa had thanked him again for taking care of Yugi and then asked a question which had startled the teen. Apparently the old man had a convention he had to go to that weekend, but didn't want Yugi to spend his time alone which he would no doubt do since he wouldn't want to go out in public which one side of his face swollen and the other side with a cut on under his eye. Instead he asked Yami if he would stay there for the weekend and just keep his grandson company. He was silent for a while, wondering if Mika would believe an excuse like that for not coming home for two days. Yami decided he didn't care what Mika thought though and agreed anyway, ending up talking to Anni anyway when he called to explain he wasn't coming home until Sunday evening.

"Let me check you out then," Yami grinned, helping Yugi into a sitting position and unbuttoning his shirt for him. Yugi wanted to blush at the words even though he knew what the older teen had really been implying.

Looking up and down his front he was pleased that most of the bruises were small and would probably be gone in the next couple of days. There was one on his arm that was pretty bad, the same as his face, and the cut on his cheek was more or less already sealed up. "Well, you aren't too bad, but let's get another ice pack for your arm and we'll watch a movie together."

Yugi allowed Yami to help him stand up, but he started to push the teen out the door he stopped. "What happened to your back, Yugi? You didn't say that guy got you here." The younger groaned inwardly. He didn't even know how to begin explaining this.

"I don't know," he admitted, hiding his face in his hands. "Is it bad?" Light fingers traced along his shoulder blades and he hissed in a sharp breath.

"If you're reacting like that it must be bad," Yami joked. "You've got rashes all along your shoulders and there's two places where it's really red, almost swollen here too." He touched the two spots lightly just so Yugi would get a clue where. "Are you sure he didn't get you here."

Yugi nodded, thinking quickly. He just wanted to sit down and enjoy a quiet day and he wasn't going to get that if Yami started worrying about him and his unknown injuries now. "I must've just rubbed a little harshly against the wall yesterday," he explained. "He did push pretty hard. Either way it doesn't hurt too badly as long as you don't touch it, so let's go." He grabbed Yami's hand and led him downstairs to the living room.

The crimson-eyed teen settled Yugi on the couch and told him to decide which movie he wanted to watch first while he headed into the kitchen for another icepack. When he reappeared he had said object as well as a cool, damp towel. "Lean forward," he ordered as he settled the towel over Yugi's shoulders lightly. "There, that'll help with the redness hopefully. Next patient," he joked, enjoying the giggle that escaped Yugi's mouth as he leant back and secured the towel in between him and the couch and then gave him his arm to put the icepack on. "Tell me when it gets warm and I'll stick it back in the freezer," he told him before heading over to the large array of movies. "Did you decide?"

The first half of the movie went by without incident, but then he noticed his icepack was starting to melt all over him and he hesitantly told Yami, who looked like he was getting really into the movie. The older didn't mind though and took the icepack and the towel after pressing pause on the remote. He returned shortly later with a couple of drinks and the rewetted towel.

They settled back in comfortably for a few minutes and then Yugi tensed up. The towel wasn't helping like he thought it was and the consistent, terribly uncomfortable ache in between his shoulders seemed worse than ever. Every now and then there was a pulse of pain in one of both of the places Yami touched to show where the red bumps were and he bit the inside of cheek each time they throbbed. He wouldn't interrupt the movie again. Yami was enjoying it and he wouldn't bother him for something that would probably go away in a couple of days. _It's like every other injury _he told himself. _Just grit your teeth and get over it. _Carefully he pushed back against the back of the couch and inwardly sighed at the slight relief the extra pressure gave him.

The rest of the day went by without incident. They watched movies and munched on popcorn all day and Yugi even admitted that he'd never actually just enjoyed a day of being lazy for once. Yami chuckled and put in another movie. Every first half of the movies they watched he would get the icepack for Yugi and then pause it halfway through to freeze it back up. He stopped bothering with the towel when the redness seemed to have gone away, though the bumps were still there.

B R E A K

Ryou collapsed back onto his bed and sighed. "How much time do we have left," he asked desperately. Both angels knew they were cutting it close and they would have to do the deed soon or all three of them would be in really big trouble.

"Three months after he turned fifteen. It's getting close," Malik told him, crossing off another 'X' on the day. "We're going to have to get him alone and do it. I just don't know where to do it where we'll get the privacy we need for the length of time it takes." The first half of the calendar's week was crossed out and they entering the second week. The fifth day of the second week was circled four times with a red marker and both angels knew they had to do it before that day or the worst was going to happen.

Ryou sighed and rubbed his face with his hands. "I hate this," he finally said and sat up. He was rubbing his shoulders achingly and flinched with pain. "I've never had them folded for this long. It's starting to hurt," he admitted. Malik stared at him with sympathy and then looked out the window before tossing a blanket over it and tucking it into the edges slightly. He nodded at Ryou who gave him a thankful smile.

Kneeling on the floor he clasped his hands together and breathed evenly. He could feel warmth in his shoulders, flowing down his back, and then his wings fold out, the stiffness in his shoulders disappearing immediately. He stretched the white feathers as far as he could, the tips almost touching the ceiling before he eased them back down. A gold halo appeared on his forehead and Malik knelt next to him, kissing the gold band respectfully.

The albino angel stretched out his wings a few more times, wishing desperately that he could stretch them out properly in the skies. After folding them up he felt the familiar ache return to his shoulders, but the pain was so minimum then that it was easily ignored. He thanked his friend quietly, breathing heavily from the energy it took putting his wings away. "Yugi's going….to have a much harder time with this, isn't he," he asked, staring into Malik's violet eyes sadly. Malik wanted to lie and say it would be easy, but he knew both of them knew better than that.

B R E A K

Yami flicked off the TV with a sigh, the fourth movie of the day was over and he decided to give his yes a break. When he glanced over at Yugi it seemed the younger teen was way ahead of, eyes closed and sleeping against the armrest on his side of the couch. He couldn't resist brushing back his blonde bangs and pressing a light kiss to his forehead.

As he pulled away he quickly jumped startled back, but the reason for his surprise left as soon as it had begun. For just that split second he couldn't sworn he saw a whisper of wings expanding from Yugi's back and a silver halo adorning his forehead with a slight glow. No matter how much Yami wanted to admit that he knew he'd seen….something, he couldn't believe that he did see it. Blaming it on his eyes and having overused them watching the movies he moved into the kitchen and sat at the small, round table there, rubbing his palms against his closed lids roughly. _What the hell was that_ he questioned, knowing there had to have been something there or his heart wouldn't have been pounding as badly as it was.

B R E A K

Ryou and Malik both looked up quickly, feeling the rush of magic in the air and knowing the pulse of it well. Their friend was close to awakening and they had to get to him soon. It was just for an instant but they knew that power anywhere having felt it many times before when Yugi had been with them. The magic of a very old, very intense magic of a wizened angel was gathering and the oldest angel they knew was Yugi.

Glancing at each other, violet met chocolate brown, and they both nodded. It was time to get serious. They grabbed their jackets and left the apartment.

B R E A K

When Yugi awoke a few hours later he felt as good as new. Nothing hurt, apart from his back, and it was as if the jerk from school hadn't touched him at all. Glancing at the clock hanging above the sink in the kitchen, his stomach gave a grumble of hunger and he rubbed it thoughtfully. _Definitely time for dinner _he decided.

Stepping into the kitchen his gaze was drawn to the table where Yami was lying on his crossed arms, sleeping peacefully. He smiled to himself before pulling out a pot from underneath the stove as quietly as he could. Fumbling through the cupboards for a minute he found the blue and yellow box of the Macaroni and Cheese and took it, dropping it next to the stove until he was ready to open it.

It wasn't until he was straining the noodles and about to add the cheese that he felt a warmth behind him. Glancing curiously, Yugi couldn't contain the bright smile he gave Yami when he saw the teen standing behind him, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he watched him.

"Did I wake you," he asked.

Yami shook his head before turning to resume the chair he'd slept in. "Bad place to take a nap," he mentioned absently, patting the table behind him. "I'm as stiff as a board and twice as sour." Yugi giggled, mixing in the cheese before turning the stove off.

He put of the pasta in two bowls and then moved back to the table, hanging Yami one and setting his own down before fetching a couple of forks. "Enjoy, it's my specialty," he joked. They ate in a comfortable silence before Yugi suddenly paused and looked to his lap. "You have to be home tonight, right?" Yami nodded. "Oh…"

"We'll see each other tomorrow."

Yugi nodded. "I know. I'm just….I like your company." He blushed at his bold admittance and quickly looked away. He liked how he felt when Yami around him: the warmth he gave off and gentle soothing he felt knowing he could talk to him about all sorts of different things.

They finished eating and Yugi dumped the dishes off in the sink before following the crimson-eyed teen to the back door. Reluctantly, he opened it for him and waved as Yami started down the pathway to the front of the game shop and out of sight at the corner. A wave of sadness overcame him when he was gone and immediately he felt depressed.

B R E A K

"Now," Ryou whispered, seeing Malik tense as he readied himself to jump from the tree. He was just about to let gravity take him when he stumbled at the car lights that suddenly blinded the angels hiding among tree limbs and leaves.

At the sight of Yugi's grandfather getting out of the car, Malik cursed. "Damn it." Ryou was holding his arm to keep him from falling as the old man trudged up the walkway and greeted Yugi, who waited for him when he saw the car drive up. "I don't think it's going to be tonight, Ryou."

The albino nodded, watching his lost friend and the old man he lived with go back inside and lock the door. They were gone behind the walls of the game shop and Yugi's reawakening would have to wait for a different time. "There's always tomorrow," he said, trying to remain positive for their best friend's sake.

B R E A K

When the morning came Yugi found himself running down the street, desperately trying not to be late to school. He'd woken up late that day due to more dreams that woke him last and the consistent pain in his shoulders was starting to bother him to the point of annoyance. _I've always been a fast healer, so why is this taking so long? There has to be something wrong! _

The bell rang just as he stepped inside the safety of the school building and he heaved a great sigh of relief despite the stares he got from the students near to him. Slowly he made his way up the hallway steps to get to his first class, taking his time to get his breath back.

As he sat in his seat in the back of the room he dropped his head on the desk and immediately wanted to go back to sleep. He could never seem to get enough rest anymore and it was going to be the death of him for sure if he couldn't get a full night's sleep in.

Joey leaned over in his seat and poked his back, surprised at the flinch Yugi gave off before the violet-eyed teen looked up at him. "Damn, Yuge, you look like death. What were you doing last night?"

"Sleeping," _and failing miserably. _"How was your weekend?"

"It was great," the honey-blonde told him excitedly, a large grin on his face. "I was at Seto's the whole time. Did you know for as smart as the guy is he kind of stinks at video games. I kicked his butt the whole time." He was ticking off on his fingers the various things they played against. "…racing, snowboarding, even frogger," he finished nonchalantly.

Yugi chuckled behind his hand, straightening up in his desk to put to some pressure on his back using the wall behind him. "Sounds like you had fun." The blonde nodded, before turning his attention to the front when the teacher called for silence.

It was after that class that a chill wove its way down the violet-eyed teen's back. Looking around him he couldn't see anything for the cause. He was careful of everything as he made his way to the stairs and then he paused at another shrill made goose-bumps pop up over his arms. _Something's going to happen…_

Right at the thought he turned, misjudging where the edge of the stairs were and his heel dropped from underneath him. The floor was catching up to his face and he braced himself for the incoming harsh contact and the no doubt large amount of pain he was going to feel.

B R E A K

Malik and Ryou had been watching the hallways carefully, keeping their eyes on Yugi the whole time. They became suspicious when the teen suddenly started looking around and they were careful to keep out of sight. Having no reason to attend classes anymore they just used a bit of what was left for their allowed magic on Earth to keep from being noticed lingering in the hallways while class was in session. With Yugi so close to his rebirth though there was little doubt in their minds that he could probably sense them nearby, even if he didn't know who they were.

When they saw his foot catch on the stairs they gasped and Ryou pitched forward before Malik could stop him. The half of him that knew Yugi's mortal body would suffer tremendously from the fall won over the knowledge that with his power gathering Yugi probably wouldn't be hurting at all by the time he woke up from a few hours long nap.

Malik, however, snapped, and he raced after the albino but knew he wouldn't make it in time. Without the care that everyone would hear he shouted. "Don't touch him, Ryou!"

His words weren't in time to catch the albino and he watched in horror as the pale hand of his close friend wrapped around Yugi's wrist in time to keep the youth from dropping to the cold and unforgiving floor. He felt the spark of electricity between them but it didn't register until a glazed and clouded film covered Yugi's usually bright and vibrant eyes. That was when the guilt and unabashed pain filled his heart.

_What did I do…_

B R E A K

Memories of an old life raced past Yugi's eyes as he felt his body become limp, too heavy to hold him up any longer.

Flashes of silver and gold in his eyes and rain as bright as the very essence of light fell around him. He was detached from the world as he looked over a city that he knew but he'd never seen before.

Angels flew by him and even threw him, but never took notice of his ethereal form somehow floating in the air, ghostly even to his own eyes as he could look through his very hands at the ground hundreds of miles below him.

The rush of power and magic consumed him before he saw shadows over take the city and one angel defeating it with a prayer, being devoured before the form plummeted towards the ground, fading before he even reached the edge of the clouds.

_My dream…_he wondered vaguely, the scene playing before him somehow making sense since he seemed to actually know what was going on. He knew what shadow was and which prayer the angel was murmuring. He knew what holy city he was in and what the mountain behind him, towering him in its shadows, was called. He also knew that the angel who defeated the shadows and disappeared as he fell was him…

Voices echoed in his head and everything was becoming so painful for him. A migraine pulsed vividly behind his eyes and he could feel tears leaking past his clenched eye lids as voices he could place names to repeated words and phrases he'd heard and which times they were said it.

_Is he going to be alright?_ His mother before he'd become an angel the first time.

_I'm sorry, the disease has already taken over his body, ma'am. _The doctor she'd been speaking too.

_Welcome to the Heavenly City, Holy Lights. _Serenity, she was the first one who greeted him after he got his wings and halo. She was just as graceful as ever and reminded him of the waters that she was goddess over.

_Hey, hey, you're a guardian angel, just like me. I'm Mokuba and if you need anything just ask me okay? I've been here way long. _The first angel he met that he actually conversed with on regular occasion.

_Am I really dead…_ Him a few weeks later, watching over the city he'd grown up in.

_Yugi, this is Ryou. Will you show him around? _He first met the albino a couple hundred years later. He'd been so nervous.

_Those who die, their spirits come to this city to be judged. Guardian angels stay mostly in this place, using the Mountain of Prayer to know who to watch over. _Him; he'd been explaining to Ryou about the city.

_Ryou, come flying with me! _Him again; it was a really windy day and the clouds were dancing in the breeze.

_This is a newcomer, just got his wings. Why don't you show him how to fly, Yugi? You've always been a natural. _Serenity introducing him and Ryou to the tanned angel.

_I'm Malik. I guess…I didn't survive the accident. I hope my parents are okay though. _The taller violet-eyed angel had seemed so tough at first, but he mellowed out when he recalled how he ended up in the Holy City.

_Yugi, you're breaking out fever! Get to bed. _Ryou. Angels didn't get ill often but when they did it caused reason for worry because their magic dwindled down to almost nothing and left them too weak to move.

_The shadows are back. _Serenity had whispered that but he'd heard it just the same from where he lay in bed. He'd been through the shadows before and he shivered at the memories it brought.

_Don't do this, Yugi. You aren't strong enough. _The Water Goddess again. She knew most of all what would've happened with Yugi having a fever if he tried to pray.

_What's going to happen now?_ It was his last thought before his body lightened and he faded.

So many different things slammed onto him at once and he felt his eyes roll black, everything going black around him.

B R E A K

"That definitely wasn't going to be my first choice, Ryou," Malik scolded, kneeling beside his friend who held Yugi's unconscious form in his arms.

A few tears escaped his eyes and the albino angel nodded. "It's too late now. I'm so sorry; I wasn't thinking."

Sympathy went out to his pale friend and he touched the back of his head gently, petting his hair. "It's okay," he soothed in a crooning voice, whispering the words. People were beginning to gather in a crowd over what happened and a streak of warning grabbed his heart as he saw beads of sweat form on Yugi's forehead. _The fever… _"We have to get out of here," he warned.

"She wasn't joking when she said it was going to happen fast." Ryou was talking about when Serenity explained what to do just before they left. He stood with the recovering angel in his arms and they ran out of the school faster than elementary students racing out for winter holidays. They couldn't risk being followed now, but there was pair of crimson eyes that narrowed when they saw who they were carrying.


	6. Angel Feathers

Yugi cracked his eyes open and the first thing he noticed was the searing pain jolting down his spine coming from his shoulder blades. It felt as if someone had torn him open from the inside out with razor sharp claws and they were doing it as slowly as possible. His breath was coming in heavy pants and he felt hot and cold all over, his chesty heavy making hard to intake air. Tears immediately began to cloud his vision and he wondered what it was he did to deserve this torture. His vision was impaired that he couldn't even look beside him and make out who was sitting next to him, petting his hair.

"You shouldn't move," a gentle voice told him. Soothing fingers went to his hot, clammy skin of his forehead in an attempt to relax him, but Yugi found it harder to resist the pain without his muscles clamming up.

His teeth clenched together and he shook his head to try clearing the pain induced fog that had settled in. "It hurts," he moaned out. Every time he inhaled his back would pulse and then, letting out the breath, his shoulders convulsed and he couldn't help but shiver. The fingers rubbing his temples softly went back to his hair, but they jumped back when the door slammed open.

Malik's eyes widened when he saw the crimson-eyed look-a-like of his best friend; _Yami _he reminded himself. His eyes were narrowed sharply and the scowl on his face told the angel he was anything but willing to communicate calmky. One fist was to his side, clenched tightly, the other balled up in Ryou's shirt as he held the albino away from him as he moved to open the door. He'd been blocking the way in to make sure nobody interfered but he hadn't expected to be jumped from the side and demanded entry.

"I found him," Yami whispered, more to himself than anything else. "What the hell have you done to him?" His eyes took in his friend, lying on his stomach with his shirt removed, showing off the two swollen red bumps on his blades and the enflaming rashes moving along his back and somewhat down his arms. _It wasn't this bad yesterday._

It had taken the teen the better part of an hour to locate where the two students he'd seen take Yugi off somewhere after his close brush off with the stairs. When he finally located the wide-eyed albino he attacked him from the side and entered the storage shed that was all but forgotten behind the school. Nobody came here and it mostly loaded with junk. The moth-eaten couch Yugi was lying on, the crate the other teen was sitting on beside his friend, and other assorted garbage furniture cluttered and dusty around the small shed. Next to Malik there was a couple of buckets, each with a brush with short, soft thistles dyed red and a long handle.

Ryou sighed and tried to dislodge Yami's hand from his shirt, but the teen was too tense and too angry to let him get away yet. Instead he dropped his arms to his sides and looked at his friend with sad brown eyes. "We haven't done anything," he whispered. "This was going to happen whether we came or not and I promise you," the angel said, staring into ruby eyes, "it was better that we came."

Growling, Yami shook him in his grip. "What the hell does that mean?"

Before anyone could answer there was a cry of pain from the couch and all three heads jerked over. Malik gently slid his fingers over the two angry bumps and bit his lip before running over to a rusty sink and filling a bowl with water. He came back and dipped a rag in the cool liquid and ran it lightly along his back, careful around the two red sores in his shoulder blades.

Ryou watched him, wishing he could also help but also knew he had to calm Yami down or things weren't going to turn out good for anyone. "It's going to be hard for you to accept. I understand that you're very protective of Yugi."

The dodging answers were really starting to piss him off. He raised the fist at his side and punched the wall closest two him, making the two angels jump. There was a noticeable dent where he'd hit and blood running in tiny rivulets down his fists, dripping on the floor. "Tell me what the fuck is going on right now!"

Ryou tried to maneuver around with the hand pinning him where he stood and closed the door. Yami let him as he stepped further into the shed. "Yugi's going through a…few changes," he answered quietly, hoping the place was secluded enough that they weren't going to be bothered anymore. They'd already used all their magic in their stay on Earth and they were going to have to hope their luck held out. "Malik and I were sent to find him and it was honestly an accident that I touched him."

"You what," the teen growled dangerously though, turning his head to glare at him.

With the door closed Ryou tried to slip from his grip now and he managed to succeed when his shirt came loose from the tight fingers. He moved to sit next to Malik on another crate next to Yugi's head and gestured for Yami to come closer. He did reluctantly. "It may be hard to believe but Yugi's actually been dead for a few centuries." Yami's glare hardened and Ryou knew he sounded incredibly stupid. "It sounds farfetched, I know, but it's true. A terrible disease overtook his body and medicine was so poor back then that he died from it. He's been a guardian angel ever since."

As he was explaining, talking about how the shadows came Yami had to step back. _It happened again. _There had been just a brief instance where he could see wings and halos on the other two people as well. He pressed his palms into his eyes and took a deep breath just as Ryou told him that if an angel was reborn in public with no memory of what happened and mortals saw it would be punishable, even if he had no control over it. So others are sent to induce the rebirth so it could happen in an out-of-the-way location and heaven could remain a secret. _It can't be a coincidence that I'm seeing exactly what they're telling me they are. Why, why can I see them as angels?_

He moved closer to Yugi and couldn't deny that strange things have happened since he met the teen. First the immediate calm he reached when the violet-eyed male was near him, even now he cooled down much faster than he otherwise would have. Normally he'd have been pissed off for hours, but just entering the room he couldn't truly hold onto his anger. Then the bruises that had littered his body after being attacked behind the arcade. He'd heard of fast healers, but a day after and there wasn't even a scratch on his body to be seen. Then the two bumps on his shoulders and him seeing flashes of what apparently the three of them really looked like. It was almost unheard of, but he surprisingly felt himself believing what Ryou explained to him.

"So, you're saying that Yugi doesn't know any of this? Is that why he's never mentioned being dead when we're supposed to be so close."

The two nodded. "Until Ryou touched him that is," Malik told him. He put the rag he was using in the bowl and soothed a hand into the tri-colored sweaty locks, sighing. "We were supposed to do it discreetly, but it was an accident when he started to fall and Ryou reacted without thinking. The fever comes from the rush of everything coming back at once and puts stress on the body; it starts immediately. After his wings breach though he'll be all better. In a lot of pain, but otherwise better. I'd imagine if he wasn't in so much pain right now from the wings starting to come through he'd realize who was sitting next to him right now."

"So, does that mean he's dying right now so he can become an angel again," Yami asked, pinched the bridge of his nose and trying to understand.

Ryou shook his head, running a tired hand through his white locks. "His mortal life, no matter what, only extends to three months after his fifteenth birthday. His angelic soul won't let him live longer than that. In a way he is dying right now, but not in the way you think. That isn't the part that's giving him pain, it just his wings trying to breach through a flesh body. Once the wings come through the rest of him follows." He stopped and pulled some loose strands from Yugi's tired face, wiping the sweat from his brow carefully. "He used up all his strength with the prayer on the shadows to cleanse heaven and the humans' souls who created it. When an angel uses all his magic like that their body fades and their soul retreats to heaven and are reborn as a human in order to revitalize the power that was lost."

"And touching him," Yami finished. He would rather be asking Yugi about this, but with the way things were he was sure it wasn't going to happen for a while.

Malik nodded and sat back on the crate he was using. "An angel touching another angel who is to be reborn is like a catalyst. It induces the rebirth sooner so it can be controlled."

Yugi shifted, his little fists clutching at the dusty couch he was lying on. He wanted desperately to turn over and apply pressure to his agonizing back, but found himself unable to shift. Every time he tried firm hands would keep him on his stomach and it hurt too much to be able to fight for long. His ears rung loudly, hearing someone talking next to him but unable to make out the words. His mind kept racing through the headache as he did the only thing he could do: shift through his newfound memories.

Silence reigned around the three teens and the only noise heard between them for the longest time was Yugi's labored breathing and random moans of pain.

Malik groaned and finally punched the ground. "This is a horrible place to be reborn," he growled. Yami and Ryou both looked over at him in surprise, but Ryou understood. He was about to say something when Yugi cried out again.

The bumps on his back shifted around and Yami knew his mouth had fallen open. His stomach clenched as he watched the next few events unfold.

Yugi's muscles kept contracting as he felt the sharp stabs of pain rolling in waves down his back. "It hurts! It hurts," the youth cried, tears dripping from his violet eyes as he tried to steady himself. It felt almost like a small tear at first but it quickly escalated into a full swipe, starting from his shoulders and moving down his back. Red droplets peaked at the top of the bumps and streaked down his back and Malik was quick, but gentle to wipe it away.

"Ryou, find a chair. It's going to be any minute now," Malik ordered, nerves and adrenaline running through his system. He had to keep calm right now. He could relax later, he kept telling himself. The albino returned with a steady looking chair and placed it nearby for when they would need it.

Yami couldn't believe it. He was staring right at it, but he couldn't believe it. The very picture itself looked like it jumped out of horror film and onto Yugi's back. Just yesterday they were bruises and rashes and now it looked like something trying to crawl out through the angry sores. He felt tears slide down his cheeks at the very image but didn't bother wiping them away. _Yugi…_

The bumps shifted again and Yugi screamed, crying in agony as the pain became unbearable. Ryou and Malik were quick to lift him, moving him so he sat backwards on the chair and the youth clutched to the back, looking right into Yami's scared red eyes.

"Yami," he begged, reaching a hand out to him. "Yami, it hurts. It hurts so bad; I didn't do anything!" Malik and Ryou both watched sadly, knowing his memories hadn't completely connected yet, but they would. Once his fever was gone he was going to be the way they remembered.

The words snapped Yami out of his daze and he moved forward and he picked up the rag Malik discarded, ridding it of excess water and wiping Yugi's sweaty face and arms. "Shh, I know, baby," he soothed. "When this is over we'll go get ice-cream and watch all the movies you could want. We'll have another lazy day just like before."

Yugi stared into his eyes and even managed a small smile before his eyes clenched tightly. "I'm so sorry, Yami," he whispered.

Ryou was at his back, wiping the blood that continued to flow from the two bumps, faster now as the wings continued to shift underneath his skin, searching for a way out. He was waiting for the sign. The albino needed to be careful that he got out of the way in time so his eyes were glued to the two bumps, being wary.

"I'm scared, Yami," the youth admitted. The memory of when he knew he was dying flashed before his eyes and tears flew faster. "I was so scared when I knew and there was nothing anyone could do." Yami didn't understand, but he nodded anyway, trying to keep him calm as he continued to cool his skin off with the wash rag.

It finally happened and Ryou took three large steps back. Yugi screamed as spurts of blood spit out from the two angry bumps. They shifted again and the tips broke through as Yugi's small form shook horribly against the chair, uncontrollably sobbing. Even though it happened quickly, Yami watched it all as though it were taking hours to occur. Following the tips and blood red-stained wings with large feathers stretched out from his back and stretched open, just grazing the ceiling before they came back down, twitching every so often as Yugi's cries settled down to mere whimpers.

_They're real_ Yami thought with awe, staring at the red feathers that looked beautiful even covered in so much blood. _They're real. _

Ryou and Malik acted quickly. The buckets were filled with water from the sink and they each took up a brush, wetting is down before gently taking a wing and began the long task of cleaning.

The crimson-eyed teen watched them work, noticing as they did Yugi's eyes began to droop before he finally fell into a pain-wrought sleep. He wanted to watch as Yugi's new wings changed from blood-soaked to pearl-silver white he'd seen in the brief flashes, but his own eyes also fell and he rested his back against the hard something he was leaning against before sliding to the floor and resting.

He probably wouldn't have woken up at all if it weren't for the hurt-filled moan. Cracking his eyes open, Yami looked around. The sun was no longer peaking through from underneath the door and he wondered how long they'd been hiding out in the little shed. Ryou and Malik were each half way down a wing now and he stared at the brilliant white that stood out, almost glowing in the room. Every so often they would twitch when one of the two angels cleaning tugged a little too hard and they would pause to give him a second before continuing.

Yugi's eyes were open and he looked up into his tired face, sweat still beading at his forehead. Wetting down the rag once more and ringing it dry, he wiped his face and eyes of dried tears and dirt. The violet eyes softened in thanks, but he otherwise didn't say anything. Yami knew they'd have plenty of time for talking later though and decided to remain quiet in the still silence of the room. Not an uncomfortable silence, but not contented either; just silence.

Both of the angels behind Yugi were beginning to tire and their arms ached from the cleaning, but they wouldn't give in. Just a couple more hours and they could rest, but Yugi deserved the shine and glossy white that angel's wings were given when properly cleaned after everything he'd been through. Blood had long since stopped dripping from both the wings and Yugi's shoulders, the wounds that the wings created from penetrating had closed up a few minutes after they'd stretched out.

"Just a bit longer," Ryou whispered, more to keep him going than anything else, but he was sure Yugi appreciated the gesture knowing he'd be able to move from the chair in a little while. He didn't see the small smile on his friend's face, but Yami did and that was worth it to sit and wait it through.

When it finally all over and done with Ryou slumped away into the couch Yugi had previously been laying face down and heaved a great sigh. His clothes were stained red with Yugi's blood and Yami couldn't there had been so much and Yugi was still alive. _But then….he's not really alive anymore either. He's been dead for so long and no one would ever know. Not even him._ Malik had just dumped all the blood red water from the two buckets and rinsed off the brushes carefully, pocketing them and placing the buckets in a corner when he returned, wiping his own forehead.

"A perfect day's work if I do say so myself. Everyone will be thrilled when he flies back through that gate," Malik announced proudly, the first words said in the little room in probably a good two hours. Yami didn't even look up at him when he spoke, only continued to stroke his dear one's hair, resting his cheek on the warm forehead. "I know you probably don't want to…but we should probably take him to go get some rest in a more comfortable area."

This time Yami did look up, stilling his hands and holding one hand carefully around the sleeping angel's shoulder as much as he dare without hurting him. "His grandfather?"

Malik shook his head, a look of pure sadness to his eyes that made Yami wish he hadn't brought it up. "His grandfather….the old man who'd been watching over Yugi was nothing more than an illusion. His entire family is either dead or too far away and don't care to make contact with him. Solomon Motou was an ideal choice for looking after an angel who was recovering."

"Babysitting," Yami spat angrily.

"I know it must seem a bit harsh to tear Yugi from him when both seemed very happy with each other, but I assure you no pain will come to either of them. Solomon Motou doesn't remember having Yugi has a temporary grandson in his house and could easily pass him on the street and will only think of him as another teenager walking around. Yugi also knows how the system works and will happily vouch for us that, although Solomon does not recall having someone living with him for all this time he will remember that he was happy for that time too, though will have no reason."

He didn't like it, but that didn't mean he wasn't glad that the old man was just suddenly going to wake up tomorrow wondering where his grandson was…or worse that his grandson had died somehow and no one could tell him how. At least a body wasn't going to have to be set up. That would've just put a whole lot more work on everyone else. "So where are you taking him?"

Malik breathed a sigh of relief at the question and gestured quickly at Ryou. "We'll be taking him to the hotel room we've been staying at since we arrived on ground level," he explained. "He'll be able to rest there comfortably and without interruptions until he is well enough for travel; probably a couple of days." Yami looked up sharply at that and Malik rubbed his eyes. "I'm sure he'll want to say goodbye to you so you can expect to see him again soon, though it goes without saying he won't be in school tomorrow or the day after." Yami nodded and loosened in his grip on the sleeping teen, trying not to feel panicky that the only one he'd ever cared for on such a personal level was going to be leaving him.

Ryou held open the door for Malik, who was now carrying Yugi tightly to him and using what was left of his magic to fold the wings out of sight. Yami watched them go, knowing it would only too tempting to follow if they left at the same time and make sure they didn't take Yugi where he couldn't follow so soon. "What about me," he asked quickly as they were looking around to make sure no one was in sight. They glanced back at him curiously. "Aren't you afraid I'll tell someone about all this?"

Ryou bit his lip and glanced at Malik who smiled warmly, shaking his head as he adjusted his grip on Yugi. "No…I trust you." Yami smiled thinly back and left only when they turned the corner of the school building.

The white-haired angel looked around for any would-be eavesdroppers before grabbing Malik's sleeves and effectively stopping him. "Why did you lie?"

Malik looked down at his sleeping charge and lied. "Would you like to be told that you too were also going to forget everything that happened? That you ever knew Yugi? I think he'd be happier being ignorant than worrying about it until it happened." He continued walking away until the sound of Ryou crying made him look back.

"You aren't going to let Yugi say goodbye…."

B R E A K

Late that night violet eyes cracked open and looked out at the bright moon and the star-filled sky tiredly. His back ached terribly but not so much that it wasn't easy to ignore now. He remembered everything now, knew everything he was supposed to know, and now all he could feel was such an unbearable sadness that it drowned out anything else as he allowed his tears to drip soundlessly down his rosy cheeks. "Yami," he cried as he reached a hand out for the window, wishing the teen would suddenly appear. How did it come to this….? He didn't want Yami to forget about him. He wanted to be able to say he'd come back and visit him all the time. "Yami…"


	7. The Aftermath

Violet eyes cracked open, blinking repeatedly to clear the sleep nestled comfortably within them. The first thing he noticed was a ceiling he didn't recognize in a room that also was unfamiliar. The lights were dimmed though and for that he could be grateful for. Everything around him felt very calm and peaceful, a feeling that had been a stranger to him for so long and yet he knew it would always be there even without his awareness. He breathed deeply and closed his eyes again, swallowing as a new wave of memories swept through his brain and he smiled at the smiling faces of his two friends whom he could also sense just barely in the other room. Sitting up he groaned and immediately went to rub his stiff shoulders.

"You should be resting," a soft voice told him from the doorway. Yugi felt a smile come to his face before he even looked up. Those sweet brown eyes, silver white hair that framed his angelic face that perfectly suited what he was. To Yugi's memories it felt like only a day had passed since he'd last seen Ryou, but to his senses he knew it had been years.

He immediately felt tears prick his eyes and he hurried over to embrace his best friend. Ryou was gentle with his hands but he definitely heard the quick intake of breath from the reborn angel when he did lay his hands on his shoulders.

"Sorry."

Yugi shook his head and pulled away. "A little pain is worth it," he answered with a grin. "I've missed you so much, Ryou."

"You didn't even know that until now," the white-haired angel joked, ruffling his hair.

With a pout Yugi pulled away and crossed his arms, sticking his bottom lip out. "Shut up."

Tears pricked in Ryou's eyes as well and he moved closer again, hugging Yugi around his head instead and rest his cheek in his soft fuzzy hair. "I'm missed you so much," he cried. Kissing his forehead he refused to release the newly reborn angel for a good long while.

Neither heard the door creak open but they did hear the snort as Malik watched them from the entryway. "You're lucky this room has been closed off from outside view, Ryou. Those wings would get you into trouble."

With a blush the white-haired angel pulled away from Yugi, ruffling his feathers before he put them away.

"You always did let your emotions carry you away," Malik smirked before opening his arms with his own smug pout. "I came for you too, you know. Why does munchkin get all the loving?"

Laughing Yugi bounced over to the violet eyed, sandy blonde angel and hugged him tightly enjoying his large hands as they swept through his hair. "I'm starving," he announced as he pulled away giddily.

Rolling his eyes, Malik turned him around and told him to get dressed and they'd have some lunch ready for him soon. Yugi agreed, waving t his two friends as they left him alone, closing the door behind them. With a sigh Yugi released his smile and sauntered weakly over to the dressing, wincing as the skin on his back stretched. Sucking in another breath he stood up and turned around, grimacing at the two red angry bumps on his abused back where his wings had pushed their way through and took his mortal life. "Well," he told himself, "the good news is the chances of going through something like that again are even better than slim." Closing his eyes he felt both very new and yet very old extensions of himself lingering just beneath the skin in a spiritual essence. He gave them both just a very gentle push and he cried out painfully, dropping to his knees, holding the dresser tightly in his pale, sweaty hands, tightening his fingers when he felt now very solid extra weight of his wings settle down.

"Hey, guys," he whispered, feeling the sweat bead up on his forehead as he clenched his eyes shut tightly. Using his free hand he shakily brought it up and let his fingers sift through the silky feathers and even through his fresh pain he found it in him to smile thinly. "I've missed you two as well."

The door opened again and Ryou burst in after a second. "Yugi," he cried, kneeling at his side and holding his hand tightly. "What are you doing, you idiot," he scolded, holding him tightly. "You aren't ready for that yet!"

"I'm sorry," Yugi whispered, sitting back on his knees as Ryou helped push his wings back in. He held him tightly as the little breathed in and out harshly, shaking his head when he saw Malik step into the doorway with a frown. "I just that…I wanted too..."

Malik kneeled by his head, shushing him gently. "It's okay now, Yugi." He brushed back his hair and skimmed fingertips down one soft cheek with a small grin. "You just need to take it easy until you get your full strength back."

Meeting his eyes, the younger (and yet in many ways older) angel nodded with a weary smile. "Sorry," he said again. "It's been so long. I can feel it. I just had to be sure even though I know they're there." The other nodded in understanding, helping him to his feet.

Ryou stayed with Yugi to help him dress and then helped him into the kitchen and sat him down on one of the chairs just as Malik placed a sandwich in front of him.

"Pretty good for not having cooked in over a hundred years," Malik joked, wiping his hands and sitting down next to Yugi. The angel cracked a smile, nodding. "The good news is once you fully recover you'll never have to worry about these simplicities again."

Violet eyes glanced around the room, nodding as he took a bite and munched on the mustard covered ham sandwich. He must've been healing faster than even he thought he would because the taste already seemed rather dry to his tongue and it wasn't because it was bland. He could tell from the senses that remained that it definitely wasn't because of Malik's lack of cooking skills.

His gaze landed on a couple of small bags sitting innocently by the front door. He knew the rules. He could remember that much, but he couldn't help but also feel the breaking chasm in his chest at the thought of leaving so quickly. A picture of Yami came to his mind and he dropped his half eaten meal quickly, rubbing his temples. He knew his friends were worried about him since most angels that have to be reborn tend to be slightly crazed from the rush of memories, but he already knew he'd be fine. After all, if he wasn't unstable now than he'd be fine, but he also knew that he was one of the strongest angels in heaven. He remembered that too. There were still several things that remained fuzzy though but he both wished they would hurry and never come at the same time.

_If things continue this way I'll never see him again_ Yugi mentally told himself, feeling his very unbeating heart break at the thought of never seeing Yami again, even if his mortal life would make him forget the longer Yugi remained an angel and got stronger. The moment all his memories and holy power returned the love of his life, both mortal and angelic, would forget about him.

"Yugi," Malik whispered, pulling his friend from his thoughts. He startled him when he drifted his fingers underneath his eyes and pulled away the tears welling up there. "Are you feeling well?"

The angel nodded, pushing the fussing hands away as he stood. With such thoughts swimming around in his too full head at the moment he couldn't focus on eating at the moment. "How long until we leave," he questioned. He needed to know just how long he had. Even if Yami wouldn't remember him, barely recognize him when he went to see him he still wanted desperately wanted to say goodbye. Even if that meant staring at Yami's confused face just dying to ask who he was and why he was saying goodbye.

Wrinkles appeared on the currently oldest angel in the room and Malik stood to look down on Yugi. "You shouldn't worry yourself about such things right now. Just focus on recovering."

"I'm recovered enough to know when we're leaving," Yugi argued, meeting Malik's gaze and using what little of his power he could find to prove that though Malik was currently older, Yugi was still the stronger one by far. Just because he was weak at the moment certainly didn't give either of these two angels the right to try pushing their luck on how far they could control them.

Malik backed down quickly enough and Ryou gasped, holding his mouth with both of his hands as he lowered his eyes. Yugi knew the white-haired angel could feel it and even though he wasn't nearly as strong as he should be at the moment he could have smiled at how he could make his two best friends act. He wasn't necessarily after Ryou with the power play, but he was glad that at least one of his friends hadn't forgotten who was the strongest.

"We're leaving by the end of the weak," the violet-eyed angel answered, finally lowering his eyes and sitting down once more.

Satisfied, Yugi backed down again and nearly collapsed back into his seat, breathing heavily and sweating at his brow and palms. "Sorry," he sighed, rubbing his eyes roughly.

Ryou sat back up again, nervous and suddenly very shy around Yugi, wrapped an arm around his friend's shoulders and whispered in his ear, "You should get some more rest now." Yugi nodded and allowed the white-haired angel to help him up and lead him back to the bedroom.

B R E A K

Yami sat on the stoop in front of his old apartment home, resting his face in his hands and wished that for once whenever he was around Yugi he wouldn't feel such an easy calm. He couldn't believe how easily he'd let those two so called angels take the one person he ever deemed more important than himself get away. He was somehow coerced into it, he knew it somehow. Now that he'd actually had the clear mind and the time to think it through the one with violet eyes just hadn't seemed very truthful about letting him see Yugi again so he could say goodbye. _Empty promises_ Yami sneered mentally _I should be an expert at spotting them and I still let them get away…_

He had yet to change out of his clothes having been in a daze through that whole night and most of the day now. The shirt he'd worn the day before still covered his shoulders, stained with Yugi's blood and his pants were in very much the same state. It was then no surprise when the two people he'd been waiting to come out of the building stopped in the doorway, mouths gaping and unable to believe their eyes.

"Holy fuck, Yami," Marik swore, jumping down the steps and looking him over.

Bakura came down a bit more calmly, but still very edgy and looked him over as well. After they'd made the blood wasn't his Bakura sat by his side, lacing his fingers together. "Well….you look like shit." Yami chuckled at that one and looked up, meeting his coffee brown gaze. "Don't give me that look. You know it's true."

Yami nodded and looked back down. He would much rather shed the clothes to get the crusty feeling of dried blood off him, but that would mean getting rid of the only thing of Yugi's he had left, even if the blood was connected to the reason he could no longer see him.

"By the way, where's your other half?" Marik's purplish grey eyes looked up and down the street, waiting for him to appear but no sign of the younger teen appeared. At his best pal's shake of the head he sat down as well and rubbed his back. "What's up with you? Did you get dumped or something?"

Bakura narrowed his eyes and leaned over to watch Yami's face. "Was something going on between Yugi and you, Yami?"

The teen started to shake his head and then nod, but then shook his head again and let his head fall back into his palms as he let out a rather large sigh that immediately signaled to both teens something was seriously wrong. "I don't know. I thought there was…"

"Was what, Yami," Marik pushed.

"I mean….I felt it. I definitely felt something was going on between us though nothing really did. We were close and…I was pretty sure Yugi felt it too but…"

Marik peered a bit closer and with a smirk he knew both of his friends would identify as his 'concerned' smirk he continued questioning. "So…Yugi didn't feel the same or what?"

"Where is he, Yami? Did something happen with him? Is this what this blood is?"

Yami hesitated, biting his lip and closing his eyes. He hid his face further in his lap and repressed the urge to cry. He'd never cried for anything and he certainly didn't want to start now…at least not in front of his two best mates over a boy who'd hardly known for very long. He snapped out of it when Marik shook him back and he jumped up. "Sorry…what?"

"Yugi," Bakura reminded him.

Red eyes squinted and he let another sigh. "Yeah he…um….he -." And he stopped. There was something. A pressure. It was pushing down on his chest and even though he wanted to confide in his friends it was urging him to stay quiet about the truth. When he opened his mouth once more he paused.

_Don't…_

It was an airy voice in his head without an actual voice or even a body to speak of. He looked around and only snapped out of it when Bakura snapped in front of his face loudly. "Sorry," he said, shaking his head. "Um..he's um…moving."

"Moving," Marik repeated with disbelief. "But why? I thought his gramps was doing good and all with that game shop."

"No, he's…well yeah," Yami agreed. "It's just Yugi who's leaving. Going away with some other…relatives. To another school," he lied. The annoying pressure that had smothered his chest and lightened and then completely gone at the lie. He wasn't sure what it was, but he somehow knew only bad would happen if he'd said anything about Yugi having died and yet was still somehow alive and was going to be flying away to some horrible place where he'd never be able to see him.

_Not a horrible place. Heaven. _The voice told him again. Yami shook it off and faced Bakura and Marik once more.

Marik grinned and slapped his back. "Well, can't you still call or write letters or whatever lovebirds do?" Yami shook his head.

"It's not that simple," he answered.

His white-haired friend sighed and rubbed his eyes. "Were you falling in love with him, Yami?"

The question startled the teen and he couldn't help but stare at Bakura for a minute and then tears welled up again. "Kura," he broke. "I…I think I might've been. I never felt like this before but I…I love you mates too. But I never felt like. I can bear to be away from you guys a while, but like this? I don't want him to leave me."

All of his usually tense and angry features that told the rest of the world to fuck off immediately relaxed and Yami sucked in a breath at how amazingly alike Bakura reminded Yami of the white-haired angel who'd come for Yugi. Pulling his friend closer, the white-haired teen wrapped him in his arms and held him tightly, glaring at things that couldn't be seen. He would definitely have to look into this on his own time. When he met Marik's gaze he knew that he too felt the same way and they nodded simultaneously.


	8. Hearts Unconnected

"I want to go!"

Malik grit his teeth together tightly and tried very hard not to allow his anger to run away with him. Why couldn't Yugi understand that going to Yami was dangerous? "I'm sorry, Yugi," he told his friend for the umpteenth time that day.

Each day the reborn angel grew stronger and, yet, every day he demanded that he wanted to go find Yami before it was too late. Surely, Yugi understood why Malik was being so hard-assed about the decision. It was very possible that his beloved human didn't even remember who Yugi was anymore. He didn't want his friend to feel pain on purpose by doing something that would definitely cause him heartache.

Violet eyes filled quickly with tears, but Yugi knew a lost caused when it was staring him in the face. Malik didn't even seem to care that he was hurting just from not being around the crimson-eyed teen. He knew that he meant well, but doing things this way was only going to make it worse. There had to be some way to say a proper goodbye to Yami without Malik finding out.

He waved a pale hand in front of his face and concentrated. The underlying power that was still building with him was strong and encased his skin with a gentle blue aura. It was dangerous for him to outside just in case he happened to pass by someone with a large spiritual awareness, not until he was under control completely. It was the only reason Malik hadn't immediately demanded that they leave as soon as the pain from his transformation had ended. Even now, Yugi could feel himself growing stronger, catching up with him during his human years. As the mere minutes ticked by, each of those sixty seconds his need to see Yami grew even beyond that tremendous power. Malik was just being stubborn, that's what Yugi decided angrily.

Who did he think he was, Yami wanted to shout. He was his friend, sent here for only one job that he had obviously succeeded in doing. Not his parent. Not his keeper. How dare he keep him locked up here in this stifling room, bossing Ryou around to make sure Yugi didn't escape?

He sat down more roughly than he intended on his bed and bounced up and down for several seconds. The itch of his wings was severely intense, but, surprise surprise, Malik had forbid him from releasing those unless he wanted to shut out the beautiful sunlight filtering through his window that was his only truth that there was still life going on around him. Not every reborn angel had to deal with such captivity, did they? This had to be overdoing things. Choosing between being stubborn and wanting to be free again, Yugi would definitely prefer holding his wings in until it became an absolutely necessity. Stupid Malik. Stupid rules. His eyes narrowed. Stupider Malik.

B R E A K

Bakura and Marik both glanced at each other and then their deflated third half. They couldn't understand what happened.

"Yami, what happened? You look like crap in an outhouse," Bakura asked, the first one to be brave enough to state it. Marik hesitantly nodded.

Crimson eyes drifted over to his two friends before he released a quiet sigh. This was the fourth time they'd asked and each time he'd answered them. The last time it happened had only been a few hours before. Anger filtered through him but he was too depressed to express it very far before he drooped again. What made them so special? Was this his punishment for witnessing Yugi's rebirth, for watching as his wings pushed through his mortal skin and reached towards the ceiling and signaled that he was officially not among the living any longer?

His eyes sharpened as he glared out the window. Both Bakura and Marik had clearly forgotten all about Yugi and the two strange transfer students, just like everyone else at school. The first day he'd dealt with it, pretending not to know who Yugi was. After that though the pain was inevitable and he'd stopped going to school as well as to his parents' house. He tried to smoke his unbearable ache away. And drink. And sleep. Nothing worked. And what was worse that, even covered in blood and in obvious agonizing pain, Yugi had never looked more beautiful to him. He couldn't get the look of his sleeping face with his gorgeous wings spread across his back out of his face.

Without recalling how it had happened, Yami's fist connected with the wall and his knuckles started to bleed. Yami didn't care. He just stared at it and decided he didn't care. The momentary throb in his hand, for just a second, made him forget about the slash in his heart and the burned image behind his eyelids.

Brown eyes met amethyst and simultaneously both teens backed out of the apartment. Neither knew what to say to console their friend without knowing what the problem was. Why wouldn't Yami just tell them so they could fix it together and go back to being the happy-go-lucky trio they'd always been?

"Do you think someone said something to him," Marik offered, dropping down until the stairs in front of the rundown apartment building.

Bakura shrugged. "It could be anything."

"What if asked around with people he's been hanging out with at school? They might know something we don't."

Not having any better way to go about it without having Yami giving them some kind of hint, they left down the street.

B R E A K

Yugi had just finished scratching out and scribbling down several different notes on a piece of paper he'd managed to find. He didn't have any other way to contact Yami without a note, but he still wasn't sure how he was going to get it to him without looking for someone who knew Yami. It did make him feel a little better writing his name down though. It felt as though he was really talking to the teen and soothed the wounds of his broken heart.

Satisfied with his message, he went over to the window and stared outside. It was typical that the several dozens of people that walked on the sidewalk below were people he didn't recognize. Not that he was expecting to see anyone. Malik had purposefully chosen this place because high school students didn't walk around here often, though he said it was so Yugi wouldn't feel tempted.

"The connection you feel with this place will end once you get back home," Malik had told him. That was a bunch of horse feathers though and Yugi knew it. The pain he felt at leaving everything behind would surely fade, but the draw he felt to it wouldn't sever completely. No, every time he returned to earth for a job he would have the need to fly above the city and look at the places he used to occupy, even if the people he remembered were no longer living. He still sometimes did it with his first home before he died, even if there was no longer even the hint that a town used to be there.

He glanced down at the bustling sidewalk and Yugi's eyes widened. Was his vision deceiving him? He blinked and then again. No! They were definitely there and most definitely headed this way. His heart soared with joy.

The bleached blonde hair, spiked to perfection, and the sharp amethyst jewels that had a constant glare settled in their depths. He looked so alike to his own angel friend and yet their atmosphere was completely different. And to make it better, Ryou's opposite was with him as well. The stark white hair that had the shadow of silver-grey in the spiky locks and the brown eyes that clearly told the rest of the world to fuck off. Yugi had grown to care for each of them even though they didn't like anything an angel should consort with.

Now his only problem lay in convincing the two of them that he knew Yami and to deliver his note.

He thought about Malik and Ryou in the next room. Would they be able to hear if he tried to call to them? Probably, but since the fierce duo was headed his way he wouldn't have to be too loud. He started wave as they drew closer and when that didn't catch their attention the chunk of eraser he threw at them did. They glanced up, glaring, and Yugi smiled brightly. To think, he used to be afraid of the both of them and now he couldn't be happier knowing Yami had introduced them.

"What the hell do you want," Marik growled.

Keeping his voice low, Yugi very carefully introduced himself as though he was speaking to a young child. It clearly irritated the both of them, but Yugi would rather have them be annoyed and remember to give the message to Yami than have them confused and wonder too much about him to have him wiped from their memories again and forget they were carrying the note.

"I'm a very good friend of Yam's," he explained. A slow understanding settled in their faces and suddenly they were paying attention. "I've been…sick and haven't been able to see him. How is he?"

Marik shrugged. "He's been down about something but he won't tell us what. It's been like this for days."

Guilt consumed the young angel, but he tried to ignore it for the time being. Would things have been different if he knew what he was from the very beginning? Definitely. Yugi would never have allowed himself to become attached to anyone to keep the pain of separating from them from attacking his being. Now, for the first time in all his angel years Yugi felt love for another person and it was someone who unobtainable. Then their words rung in his ears and confusion settled in.

What was Yami upset about? Had something happened? He couldn't possibly remember Yugi, especially since he hasn't been seen by anyone for days until now. Was it possible that Yami had cared for him just as much as Yugi returned the sentiment and his heart knew that a piece of him was missing just as Yugi's did? The thought elated Yugi, but he tried to remain focused. He folded up the little piece of paper and dropped it down to them where Bakura caught it effortlessly.

"Could you please give this to Yami as soon as possible? It's very important." He couldn't stress that enough. Both of them nodded and promised, hurrying off as fast as they could. There was hope now.

Malik would kill him for what he'd written, but there was no turning back. Yami had seen what happened and he'd been okay with it. Then again, that was because Yami had loved him at the time. Would things be different now that Yami's memory was fading as he grew stronger? Yugi's fears grew that perhaps he shouldn't have sent that note along after all. If Yami had no idea who he was, he'd just throw that stupid little piece of paper away without a moment's regret. How pitiful Yugi was? Of course, _this_ was why Malik was refusing to let him go find the fire-eyed teen.

"If I'd known what I was before," Yugi cried softly to himself, hiding his face in his pillow, "I would have told him everything." It was his fault he didn't know what he was beforehand. He hadn't really lied to Yami about anything, but with his memories back and his power returning, Yugi couldn't stop himself from blaming all his problems on his rebirth. That short relationship where he couldn't remember being happier in either life he'd had.

Amethyst eyes glanced up and Yugi longed to be able to return to the skies sooner and never again. He wanted to beg and plead with Malik to just take him away from here even before he'd completely finished healing, but at the same time he wished he were brave enough to just jump out the window and go find Yami for himself, but he feared he'd never be able to take the rejected at face value. There was no happy ending for an angel-human relationship.

Without meaning to, his emotions overwhelmed him and his wings slid out of from his shoulder blades, sparkling like pearls in the light of the sun and giving his skin the sheen of something unearthly. The tears that he shed froze into starlight crystals on his cheeks and for the first time in his long existence, Yugi wished that angels could cry freely.

Ryou stepped into the room quietly. He didn't say anything as he stepped over to the window and shut the blinds with a silent breath. The glow around Yugi's body faded and the wings no longer glittered. Somehow it felt like his feelings were being cheated, but there was nothing he could do other than accept it.

The albino sat down gently beside him, running his soft hands through his hair and along his feathers carefully. "I'll be here with you, Yugi," he whispered.

B R E A K

Yami clutched at his letter carefully, very simple words but obvious that so much heart was put into them. Why? Why did it have to sound as though Yugi were dying again with the words? He ran down the street hoping desperately that he wasn't running out of time. Though he knew it was impossible, he still wanted to see Yugi at least one last time.

He rechecked the carefully written words once again and looked around. Yugi wasn't there yet, but Yami was certain this was the right place he'd specified. The whole time he was impatient and every second his heart grew heavier.

The bushes rattled noisily and he turned just as Yugi tripped out from underneath them, smiling up shyly. At the moment Yami was certain that his heart had grown a pair of his own wings and soared higher and higher.

"Yugi," he whispered.


	9. Magic Happens

"Yugi," Yami whispered breathlessly, stepping closer to the fallen angel. He slowly offered his hand to help the younger – older? – off the ground. He couldn't get over that he was really seeing him again that his eyes never wandered from his face. He's real, his mind told him. Yugi was really there with him. That he hadn't made him up somehow. The whole thing felt surreal.

The angel took the hand gratefully, brushing off the clinging leaves and dirt from his clothes. "Have you been waiting long," he asked quietly. As much as he would love to stare into those ruby red eyes, he tore away from them long enough to glance around. He just barely caught the slight shake of the head to indicate he hadn't been waiting. Then he took his hand more firmly and pulled him into the thick of the trees. If Malik was going to have something to yell about when he returned to the rented apartment, he wasn't going to add fuel to _that_ fire. The speech about responsibility would never end if he allowed other people to overhear the conversation that was about to happen, but first…

"You remember me?" The words were slow and careful, like how he'd spoken to Marik and Bakura when he gave them the note.

Confusion settled on Yami's face and he just as slowly nodded, flicking at a patch of grass when they finally stopped walking. So, Yugi knew what was happening. That people were forgetting him. It tore his heart apart and he was both blissful and upset about the fact that he seemed to be the only one able to retain Yugi's memory. Happy because it meant he wouldn't have to forget his beloved little Yugi and angry over never really being able to have a relationship with him.

"Nobody else does though," he admitted, drooping onto a large boulder and holding his head in his hands like he weighed just as much as his chosen seat. He settled for being depressed and couldn't look Yugi in the eyes when the next question formed in his head. The words spilled out before he had the chance to think about why he shouldn't ask it. "Is this my punishment for watching it happen, Yugi? I have to remember?"

Yugi couldn't believe it. His eyes widened and he dropped to his knees and then fell back onto his butt. The truth had just rung in his ears as clearly as he could see the pain on the human's – his human's – face. There was no way he could stop from feeling elated though. No matter how wrong it was Yami _should_ remember his rebirth of even Yugi himself, he still felt eagerly excited that, if he could, he'd fly through the clouds with the teen until he smiled just as brightly as Yugi felt like doing.

However, he could sense this was really bothering Yami, and why shouldn't it? So he swallowed back his excitement and answered him seriously. "I don't know. I've never heard of such a thing before, but," and he couldn't contain himself when a small smile made it to his face, "I won't lie and say I feel sorry for you." He crawled closer and bumped his forehead to Yami's, cupping his hands over the teen's quivering ones. "I've missed you so much. Every day had been unbearable without you around."

Yami gave a shaky nod, lifting his eyes just enough to peer through his lids to meet Yugi's bright violet eyes. "What took you so long," he choked. "I thought you'd already left."

Now the angel could truly not control himself. He sat back and crossed his arms, sticking out his tongue to blow raspberries in the direction they came from and glaring at the trees like they were the cause. "Stupid Malik," he spat. "He wouldn't let me say goodbye. Said it was too dangerous and a bunch of crap like that. Please." He drew out the single word and rolled his large eyes. "I've been an angel far longer than him and he thinks he's got the right to tell me to be careful. I'll have you know I wasn't seen at all while I walked over here. He just doesn't think I _can_ do it, but I really wanted to see you." He grinned and sat back up on his knees, unable to hold still. "I refuse to believe that Marik and Bakura walked by that window merely by coincidence. There has to be a reason I was given the chance to see you again."

"You swore."

"Huh?"

"Crap. You said crap. I didn't think angels would be allowed to do that."

Yugi threw his head back and laughed, rolling in the grass while he held his sides. "I have certain privileges, but, yes, it helps that I'm on Earth. That and I can be myself with you. Don't you think it's great we can see each other again?"

The crimson eyed teen wasn't sure if he had as much faith as Yugi did though. Perhaps that's why he was the angel and Yami was just a human teen, struggling to survive and keep going. He'd never had any religion to believe in. The streets were too tough for him to be thinking there was actually a higher power out there, guiding every person in the world. And if there was, they didn't care too much for him. Everything he'd done in his life, he must have pissed off any god that might have wanted to look out for him. "And what was that," he bit out stiffly.

Yugi blinked and then glanced at the spot where Yami was pointing lasers into the dirt with his glare. He turned back to his shoes that were digging into the soft earth. They looked over worn and ready to fall apart with another step. Now that he actually looked at Yami instead of just being glad he came, he noticed all of his clothes were like that. His hair wasn't spiked up nearly as much as it used to be when he gelled it normally and it looked like it hadn't been washed in days. There were poorly covered patched in his shirt and the jeans were frayed and faded with dirt. How hadn't he not noticed when he first sat Yami waiting for him? Because you were too happy that he actually came, his mind whispered. Now he felt terrible.

"You…look awful," he noted quietly, leaning closer to meet his eyes. And once that was said Yami shifted and Yugi's eyes widened at the pack of smokes hanging out of his pocket. He plucked them up and stared at them with disbelief. "I thought you quit."

Yami pulled them out of the loose grip, slipping one of the sticks out and lighting it up, taking a long drag with a heavy sigh and staring at the smoke unfurling upward. "School life isn't for everybody, Yugi," he bit out. It was harsher than he intended and it startled to angel back. At the second inhale he immediately felt guilty and crushed up the cigarette on the rock and shoved it back into the pack. Not in front of Yugi, he told himself. It felt wrong to do that in front of somebody who was an actual angel. "I thought it was something I could do, but I'm not smart enough."

"You're wrong," Yugi shouted. The itch of his wings under his shoulders startled him and he was forced to take a few calming breaths to keep them from coming out. He didn't quite have enough control to be able to lose his emotions like that yet.

It hurt to hold them back when they so eagerly wanted to sprout out and it caused a thin sheen of sweat to break out on his forehead, dropping to his knees. It was like his own power was overwhelming him, like there wasn't enough room for it now that he'd been reborn. Yugi couldn't remember being so much before, but apparently he had. It was impossible for it to continue growing in the time he'd been recuperating. Those things just didn't happen.

"Are you okay?" Yami had just about slid off the rock to grab him, but with the sheer concentration on the angel's face, it didn't seem right to interfere. Instead, he curled up into a small ball, itching to light up again and make himself calm down as well.

Taking a final calming breath, Yugi could refocus again and he nodded. "You're wrong," he said again, more quietly. "You are smart, Yami. Maybe not for school, but you survived." He rubbed furiously at his eyes and then met Yami's. "You lived without your parents, all on your own for so long. You're clever and funny and if it weren't for you I might not have made it as smoothly as I did."

"Small things," Yami snorted, tugging at his jacket. He only just noticed Yugi wasn't wearing anything to keep warm no were there goose bumps lining his skin. One other thing to separate them, he noticed and he felt weak. "What about a job. I certainly don't have one of those. What's going to happen when I get older? No one is going to want a delinquent working for them."

"They won't with that attitude," Yugi growled, throwing a rock at him more out of frustration that he was deliberately being difficult.

The older grit his teeth, turning away and trying not to rub the spot the rock connected with. That was a lot harder than it looked. Apparently his strength also increased and he glanced pitifully at his own muscles. Yugi didn't even need protection anymore. His small frame was just a false sense of security for people thinking they could pick on him. "What are you going to do then, Yugi," he asked softly enough that it actually bothered the teen that Yami was backing down. "Are you going to decide to be my guardian angel? You're going to make sure I become a respectable adult with a family and children to take care of."

As much as Yugi would love to do that because it meant they could be together always, even if it would be painful when the family part came into play, he knew he couldn't. Very honestly and without any teasing he said, "I can't." He was tempted, but there was no way it would be allowed even if he stripped himself of his duties and title. He had too much power in his tiny form for him to be considered for a guardian. Yugi didn't want to lie anymore to Yami, even if he didn't realize he was lying about who he was when they first met. "That's not my department."

Yami actually laughed, holding his sides tightly while he dropped off the rock and to the ground. All the tension between them suddenly ceased and Yugi couldn't understand why he found that so funny. "I wasn't serious," he chuckled. "Not your department? What is?"

Yugi flushed. That just proved he'd missed Yami that much that he actually fell for one of his silly jokes when he and Yami used to laugh about it together when it was done to other people. "I'm a celestial."

The teen perked up, sitting cross legged and staring with awe. He wasn't quite sure what a celestial entailed, but he'd be damned if it didn't sound ultra important.

"I guard the gates of heaven and take care of outside interference."

Leaning forward, Yami asked, "How'd you get sent down here for a rebirth then?"

Violet eyes quickly glanced down, digging in the dirt with a loose stick. "I was sick when we were attacked. I had to use my remaining energy to destroy it and I ended up fading. To heal fully I had to be reborn from a human and die again."

"Sounds painful."

Yugi grinned. "You were there. You should know." They both shared a laugh.

Staring up at the darkening sky, the angel frowned. Malik would definitely being having kittens when he got back this late. He was just grateful the other angel wasn't trying to track him down. "I should go."

"No," Yami nearly shouted, desperate edges to his voice. He reached out for Yugi and the angel recoiled self-consciously. Red eyes widened and he pulled his hands back to his sides slowly, unable to believe what just happened.

It had been an accident, a complete reflex on Yugi's part. He might have slipped when Yami helped him off the ground and further when he couldn't resist holding the teen, but he was sure Yami wouldn't like how his skin was much cooler than his now. His body no longer had to retain heat so it was naturally chilled, able to adapt to certain temperatures to keep from expiring. Seeing the pained look on Yami's face made him immediately regret and he wasn't sure how to tell him that his body was different now.

"I have to," he whispered, trying to ignore the heavy feeling in his chest. I can't get attached, he told himself. It was impossible for him to become attached to a human. Long after Yami's gone, he would still be heartbroken and he'd only have himself to blame. How many humans had he seen go by without a flinch and now this one had somehow wormed his way under his skin and into his heart. It just wasn't fair. "You have to forget about me, Yami," he ordered sternly, wishing he could make that possible for him. The teen started to shake his head, but Yugi pressed his fingers to his lips to keep from protesting, ignoring how he shouldn't touch. "You have to. If anyone knew about us angels and that you somehow remember me, we'll be in trouble. I don't want you to get hurt."

Yami tried his best not to get angry. He hadn't cried in so long he didn't think his body knew how to anymore. There were other things he usually does to keep from getting upset, but none of them seemed appropriate to do in front of an angelic being. His fists clenched painfully, digging his nails into his palms to keep from doing something outrageous.

"Couldn't you visit somehow?"

"I cannot," Yugi admitted reluctantly. "Because of my position I don't have the clearance to be coming down unnecessarily. It'd be noticed if a celestial disappeared."

Tears welled up and blurred Yami's vision. He quickly turned away from Yugi and scratched at the rock he'd used for a seat. Anything but cry, he tried to tell himself, but the first drop already slipped down his cheek. "But I love you," he choked out.

His wings shifted underneath his blades once more as Yugi fought his own urge to cry. Anything, he begged. Yami could have told him anything other than that and he could have walked away with breaking down. "You can't," he begged.

Gritting his teeth, Yami rubbed at his eyes and turned back to the angel that looked even more fallen than he felt. "It's not something I can stop, Yugi," he wanted to shout, but it came out softer. "You're the only one I want."

Crystal droplets slid down Yugi's cheeks as he fought the emergence of his wings. It was impossible for him to fight now. It ached badly to reach out and hold Yami, to tell him he felt the same. He struggled to his feet and turned, pausing to shiver only when he felt his magic give way to his emotions. There'd been too much. He couldn't ever remember losing his control like this before and it was fitting only Yami was able to cause it.

He spun back around and he watched silently as Yami felt to his knees and rubbed at his face. His tears welled up again and he launched himself as Yami, kissing him deeply. In a shower of feathers his wings stretched around them, encasing them both in a feather cage of pearls and glitter and the faintest of light that glowed in the waning sun. The tears he shed had crystallized on his cheeks, but even still he didn't pull away from Yami until the human had to breathe.

"Me too," he cried. "I love you so much. I only want to be with you." Gently and hesitantly, he slid his cool fingers across Yami's cheek and watched him shiver, but he never pulled away or looked uncomfortable by the inhuman coolness of his skin. More like he expected it. "I must leave," he whispered. "If I ever return to Domino I promise to visit, even if you don't remember me."

He stepped back and pulled his wings back, slipping them back into his shoulders where they shifted just beneath the skin. At one final thought he held out one of his diamond tears no bigger than a pebble. It glittered marvelously against his pale skin. "For you."

Yami took it gingerly, watching as Yugi banished the rest with a wave of his hand. He would've liked them to stay so this could be their special place he could return to, but the chances of anyone else finding the crystal tears was too great and impossible to explain away.

"When are you leaving," he asked tightly, slipping the diamond pebble into his shirt pocket for safe keeping.

The angel shrugged with a slight lift of his shoulders. He didn't want to admit that their departure depended solely on when he could control himself. Unable to say anything without hurting the both of them, Yugi turned to go.

Yami clutched at his hands tightly as he watched his only love and reason disappear in the direction of the street. Screw the rules, he wanted to say, but these were rules he didn't know. There was no way he could live in the same world as Yugi. He turned to, stopping to scratch at an unusual itch in his back. Everything about leaving Yugi made his skin crawl.

A shudder made Yugi pause across the street. "That was strange," he whispered, looking back. He could've sworn he felt magic flutter against his skin. It was strangely weak, but it was definitely there. Malik must be out looking for him by now, he thought. That was not something he wanted to face.

Rubbing at his shoulders loosely to settled his wings, he turned to go. He really needed to get this power under his control or they'd never be able to return home. As much as that would be good news for him, he was sure Malik would say something different on the subject.

"Where have you been," Malik shouted as soon as he stepped through the front door.

Yugi smirked, crossing his arms. "I went for a walk."

If it could happen, steam would be spouting from his ears like a whistling tea kettle. "Do you have any idea how out of my mind I've been with worry! What if you were seen?"

"They'd forget they saw anything within seconds, Malik. You're taking this job way too seriously. I've got it handled."

Ryou glanced up from his book, biting his lip. He could already see the gears turning in his best friend's head and he wasn't sure if he liked the cruel smirk lifting one side of his mouth up.

"Well," Malik noted much more calmly, drawing out the word with delicious prevailance. "If that's the case, than I think we can head home tomorrow."

Yugi paused in the doorway, fingers clenching around the doorframe and trying terribly not to rip it to pieces at how pathetic his friend was acting. Sure, he liked to climb the corporate ladder, so to speak, but he hated that he was using him to do that. As if Yugi didn't know, the faster they returned to heaven, the more points on his record Malik would get for speed.

"You know, Malik, I care about you a lot, you know that." He glanced over his shoulder and even Ryou was startled by the harsh glare coming from the usually cheerful bright eyes. "But right now, you disgust me."


	10. Allergic Reaction

Yugi let out a quiet sigh, staring out over the open skies and buildings made from clouds. A week back home and already he wished to be allowed back on Earth. Malik forbid it and though it really wasn't the other angel's call, Yugi agreed with him. The more time he spent wondering what Yami was up to, the further depressed he'd become.

There were so many questions he wanted to ask, things he wanted to know and places to go, but he'd never get that chance now. No, what Yugi wanted to know most of all was why Yami had been allowed to remember. Everyone else he associated with during his short human life had forgotten about him like they were supposed to. The few people he'd hung out with during school and all of his teachers, his 'grandpa' hadn't even noticed there was something strange. No, the only one who failed to fall under the spell of the angels, the one that guaranteed their secrecy, was one lone high school dropout. It was so strange even Yugi didn't know whether to believe it.

He didn't dare mention it to Malik or Ryou either. Yami would be punished for certain and his two friends also for allowing a human to watch a rebirth. This would be a secret he'd forever have to hold onto, but if it was for Yami's safety he would definitely do it. Something like this…the punishment for it would…well, Yugi didn't even know that. A human able to remember an angel has never happened before, but he as pretty sure the consequences of it were severe. It might force Heaven into recreating how angels are reborn and no one would be allowed downstairs again unless they were a guardian.

Rather than appearing obvious that he was hiding something, Yugi had taken to abnormally long flights, chilling his blood with the wind until all of his limbs went numb. He heard what people were saying about him, how odd he was behaving since his return, but he hardly cared. Ryou was the only one who was actually worried, but that was his nature. Even as a human he'd always been acutely aware of people's emotions around him and no doubt the silver-haired angel felt something was off about him. Malik was the only person he could rely on to deter him and the blonde didn't fail him. Having always been the practical one, Malik easily explained off his behavior as adjusting to being back.

How long would that excuse hold? Not long, Yugi was certain, but if he pretended to be normal again Ryou would easily pick up on it. Something that obvious was like there was a mountain of sticky notes on him that told everyone exactly what he was feeling, wearing everything on his sleeve so to speak. Yugi couldn't allow that. Ryou was his best friend, no doubt, but he'd never broken even a sliver size rule before and if found out Yami remembered him his conscious would force him into reporting it. So, he flew. He stretched out his wings and kept going until he barely had the energy to keep himself airborne and then he'd crash in his bed and sleep until noon the next day. Perhaps it was a good thing his only duties consisted of protecting Heaven and therefore could spend his time as he pleased unless something threatened their safety.

B R E A K

Marik and Bakura were concerned. No, scratch that. They were more than concerned. Not that they'd ever admit to it, but they were beyond frantic at that moment. The reason for this unusual emotion was their third counterpart, Yami. He hadn't been seen or heard from since they…well, they couldn't remember why they went to visit him, but they had a joint gut feeling that it had been important and possibly the reason he was depressed.

They went everywhere they could possibly think of that their surrogate brother might go. The convenience store hadn't seen him buy cigarettes in a few weeks and none of his usual part time jobs had heard from him either. Just in case, they even went to local hospitals and health clinics. Rather than quelling their fears that something had happened to Yami, it only made them all the more agitated.

When calling his phone led to less help than the few people they'd become close to after ditching their family homes and school, Marik and Bakura headed out to his latest living space.

Neither had liked it very much when Yami insisted he wanted to live by himself for a while. First of all, the apartment he picked, well, it wasn't _right_. The place itself was usable, but highly unstable and not at all reliable. It was rundown and nobody had been inside in years, but Yami had somehow concluded that the worse it looked, the less likely it was he'd be bothered. Standing outside of the building, both teens regretted ever allowing their best friend to immerse himself into such a dark pool that drowned him apart from other people.

The front door had long been out of commission, boarded up tightly and the hinges beyond repair. Instead, Yami had busted open a window accessible by climbing over the stoop leading up to the main entry. That was how they got inside, but it was a maze to maneuver around anything else. The interior was beyond trashed. A little, one building hurricane-tornado had blown on through and stuck around for what had to have been since Yami locked himself away in one of the rooms close to the top.

It was impossible to use the stairs. They'd been crushed inward and only now shared a path to the basement rather than the second story. Every other window was boarded up leaving no guess that Yami had torn off the boards in front of the 'new' entrance. The fire escape had long since fallen and bent, making that another bad option.

At this point Bakura and Marik were wondering and sharing looks about if Yami was even alive in the wreckage. That made them search faster for a way up.

Wallpaper was torn in jagged strips of ugly, faded florescent patterns and the smell of mold and stale air permeated the scenes, heavier in each of the rooms that had closed doors. What used to be the kitchen was just piles of broken, cracked tiles and rusted floor where large metal objects used to sit. The large windows were both heavily boarded, though one of them was shattered and heavy graffiti marred the walls in artful blues and reds, some places overlapping to create a stark purple.

There was some good news to the kitchens and that was an employee stairway that both teens silently cheered when they noted it was intact. Climbing up was a difficult task all on its own. Junk and boxes filled with more garbage crowded the steps and it took either a gymnast or a careful step to maneuver safely around to reach the second story only to halt at their next obstacle.

Down below was what had previously been an inaccessible room and now both understood why. The floor that should've been the second story had fallen and now blocked most of the door. The only way around was by becoming intimate with the wall and, one at a time, they slid along the wall until they were safely on stable ground.

Walking along the hallways, the floorboards creaked and some wobbled. Whenever that happened the pair ended up sprinting to safer places. All of the doors that had once been apartments were run through and wide open. Some still had old things stuffed away in termite-eaten dressers and others were probably the cleanest just because of the lack of anything at all. There were a few that had bed frames and even few still had their moth-infested mattresses. Only one door was closed up and there was a sound coming from inside that had the both of them give sighs of relief…for now. It was the sound of running water.

Having no need for a lock in a building that wasn't supposed to be in use, Bakura and Marik walked right into the most lived apartment at the end of the hall and, thankfully, the furthest from the least safe parts of the wiggling floor. There was a couch that they recognized from down the block that Yami must've taken and a few supposed chairs that were once pieces of mattress covered in cloth.

It wasn't strange that Yami didn't have much furniture and the place wasn't really a mess. The apartment was actually the cleanest they'd passed what with the walls not all torn up or heavy water stains in places water stains couldn't be explained except for heavy rain. No, the really odd thing that struck the silver-haired teen and the sandy-blonde teen was the enormity of different lotion bottles tossed all around the room. The few that were full were on a dresser that had been left behind, minus the shelves. All the ones on the floor were squeezed dry.

"Did Yami ever like lotion before," Marik questioned, kicking one out of the way. Bakura shrugged. "It's like a supermarket for it in here. Not a one of these is the same brand."

And that was saying something. There had to have been at least twenty to thirty different bottles and, just checking, none of them was the same brand as another.

"What in the world was he thinking?" It was Marik's turn to shrug.

As one person, they turned towards the bedroom and, of course, where the bathroom and running water would be coming from. The door was cracked ajar so they walked in. There wasn't a steel bed frame in this room like some of the others had, but just an over-used mattress and had chunks missing out of it as if something huge had gotten mattress munchies. Walking further in, on the wall that the mattress was pushed up against, both were forced to come to a standstill with shock.

Lines – jagged lines – were etched along the single wall. They were small and probably would've gone unnoticed if the wallpaper hadn't been intact in that area. The tears went white through the flower design and gave way to the slab of wall underneath. Neither teen had actually seen anything like it before except in movies and a lot of cartoons. That was the sight of someone's nails digging in.

"What the hell," Bakura cursed, dropping onto his knees in front of the scratches and running his fingers over them. "Do you think Yami gotten in a fight with someone?"

Marik couldn't even think of an answer. He couldn't even think at all. It was incomprehensible to him why Yami would do something like this. It was completely out of character for him, just like a lot of other things in his life that didn't make sense.

It was a well known fact for everybody who ever got to know Yami, even if just a little bit. If he put his mind to something it was like being between a force of nature and a really really hard place that didn't even come close to Marik at his horniest. Er, well, the point was that it couldn't be done, basically, to change his mind. Yami had been so certain, that certain glint in his eyes that made it seem like he could do anything – and Marik was certain the guy probably could – that he wanted to go back to school. He wanted to prove everyone wrong that he could make something of himself, that he wasn't just another bum on the street using a firing barrel and shredded blankets to keep warm, wondering where his life went wrong. Oh boy, were they in for a surprise. Yami would've wasted all of them when he got that determined and now… What had gone wrong?

"Is there anything wrong with this," Bakura asked, effectively snapping his counterpart out of his musing. He was pointed at the slightly open bathroom door and then flicking his finger around. Marik knew instantly what he was talking about. No steam. Yami and hot showers were like a pinky swear – perfect and unbreakable.

Yami was easily visible once they stepped into the room. He was huddled into himself, pale and overrun with goose bumps in every possible place. It looked as if he hadn't eaten in the whole time he'd been and it was no wonder if he was using all his money to buy lotion.

Kneeling beside him was hard and, no, that wasn't because the bathroom was tinier than a broom closet and neither were quite sure how it even held the toilet and shower stall that it did, but rather because they'd never seen Yami so defeated before. It was awful and struck every sympathetic and pity chord imaginable in them. What had happened to their best friend to sink him so low? They were going to find out without fail this time and not going to leave until they had answers.

Yami shifted, looking at the both of his friends through the spray of frozen water, and then turned his attention back to his knees. "I can't get rid of it," he croaked, obvious he hadn't spoken in the same amount of time he hadn't eaten.

At first, Bakura and Marik weren't sure what 'it' was, but it was obvious when Yami lifted one shaky and thin arm to turn the water off. It wasn't easy to spot just because it seemed like the crimson-eyed teen had deliberately tried not to let them see the worst of it. They knew better. Underneath his arm and very obviously wrapping around a large portion of his upper back was a rash the color a little school girl blushing the life out of herself –no!- ten little girls, possibly twenty.

Carefully they shifted him to face the wall and both of their faces…It was impossible to describe the shock or the feeling they felt at seeing something so horrid across skin that had once had the perfect tan of an Egyptian glow, skin remarkable enough that they'd joked Yami could've been a Pharaoh at some point. Now, the humor was gone. This was a serious situation that they couldn't stress enough on the seriousness of it.

As if someone had taken a marker and outlined his shoulders down his waist to midback and then back up again, there was a heavy, blood red rash that left no trace of golden, sun-kissed flesh. It was like Yami had gone up to the room in one-hundred and fifty dress weather and covered everything was this part of his back and stayed there until he was one rotation short of extra crispy.

"Fuck, Yami," Bakura shouted, wanting to touch but too afraid he'd hurt his best friend. "What the hell did you do?"

Once gleaming red eyes glanced tiredly up at Bakura and then there was a subtle lift to one of his shoulders. Bakura grumbled, but grabbed a worn towel from the rack and rapped his around his friend's shivering form. After he'd stopped trembling they helped him to the bedroom and covered him in the thin blanket he'd been using to sleep while Marik dried his hair with the abandoned towel.

Now that the most basic need had been taken care of Bakura plopped down next to his buddy and wrapped an arm around him for added warmth. "Now, what were you doing taking an ice shower?"

Again, Yami shrugged, though it seemed more if he talked it would hurt his throat. "Ran out of hot," he rasped.

The next thing on Bakura's mind was why the hell would he stay in there, curled up like the world was ending instead of just getting out of the shower. That was stupid though. Obviously Yami was trying to sooth the burn and itch in that rash. Instead, he asked, "What did you do?"

Chapped lips parted, coughed, and then shrunk back into the blanket before his whole body flinched away. That explained why it looked like he hadn't been sleeping. Nothing but water could touch the thing without it hurting like crazy. "I think I rubbed against something I was allergic too. No idea what."

Marik touched his cheek tenderly, showing a face that no one but the other two had seen such an expression or behave so sweetly. "Yami, you need to go to a doctor. All that lotion, it's obviously not working." He paused and then tugged him into a tight hug. "You can't stay here, buddy. It's not safe."

Yami nodded, staring at the stained carpet floor and deteriorating walls. "I know," he said, voice cracking. In truth he was hoping if he put his life at risk a little bit Yugi might come for him, but he knew that was impossible from the very beginning. The angel had already told him that he wasn't a guardian, but a celestial. His job was to protect, but it wasn't a lowly human being he had to guard.

Touching his shoulder as if he'd crumble like a paper thin cookie, Bakura asked, "Yami, what happened to you? There's nothing at all that would normally make you like this, but it happened so suddenly. You've gotta help us out."

He shook his head. It was the fastest movement he'd made thus far and he went so far as to throw the blanket away from his shoulder to keep them from holding him down. "You don't have to know everything about me!"

Shocked, Marik coaxed him back under the blanket and smiled sweetly. "We know, Yami, we know. It doesn't have to be everything, but we are worried."

Yami paused for a second and then slowly nodded.

"Was it the school?"

He shook his head. "N-no. Not exactly." He curled further into the blanket, but ended up letting out a hiss when the sheet rubbed the wrong way on his sensitive shoulders. "I met someone there." Ha! Take that stupid angel rules! He could tell them without saying anything about someone specific. "I really thought he was the one, but he had to leave. We were forced apart without a chance to see if it would work between us."

"You and him, you must've really loved each other, huh," Bakura questioned, slipping a hand under the cover to take his hand gently. Yami slowly nodding, willing his eyes to stay unclouded. They didn't listen and he feared he'd wear himself apart if he ended up sobbing for another hour over this. It was completely ridiculous!

Yugi and he barely knew each other and he absolutely refused to think that the angel had been his soul mate. First off, what kind of sick joke was it that Yami, a mortal human, and Yugi, an immortal being were supposed to be entwined together as lovers? If this was God's form of punishment, if that was really who Yugi worked for, that planned this as his punishment for falling in love with someone he shouldn't have. Well, excuse him for breathing! It's not like Yugi had flashing lights sign above him in neon colors that warned people away. Anyone who was anyone was drawn to him, especially if he was actually something as pure as an angel. Yami would imagine the purity of the whole idea would even make a raving lunatic murderer want to be friendly with him the further he grew into his powers again. Of course, that was just Yami's wonderings and since no one was around to correct him he left it at that.

"Why'd they have to leave? Couldn't you follow after him or convince him to stick around? You have to be completely certain that he wasn't toying with you."

Anger flooded through his small frame and Yugi lashed out, ready to defend his lost love whether he'd be with him or not. "Yu – He's not some snot nosed punk who'd do something like that! You know me; you know I wouldn't ever get close enough to a bastard like that." He paused and wiped quickly at his eyes. "He's pure, something amazing. A miracle even and he chose me of all people."

"But?"

He nodded. "But he already had prior commitments that were more important than a relationship that hadn't exactly started yet. Sure we teased and flirted a little and we knew how each other felt, but it wasn't official yet. The day he left, he confessed to me and admitted if there was any way around it that he would take it. It was impossible from the start though." His treacherous tear ducts were acting up again and he hastily rubbed at his eyes again, ignoring the flare on his back when he tugged the blanket.

"What about phones or mail?"

"I…" Stupidity had never felt so shameful. No, surely Yugi would've suggested it if it were possible. He was good at things like that, thinking things through whereas Yami was somewhat impulsive. "I asked. There'd be problems and it's really complicated."

Seeing the effect the conversation was having on their buddy they dropped it and started up a different line of thought that was just as important now as helping to cure the crimson-eyed teen. "We need to get a doctor to look at that," Marik suggested. At first, nothing, and then Yami hesitantly nodded.


	11. Fever

"How could that doctor not know what the fuck is wrong," Bakura raved as he smothered a healthy dose of lotion over Yami's back. His friend hissed at the initial touch, but then groaned as the heat on his skin lifted. "And what the hell was with that expression when he checked your heartbeat," he continued, wiping his hands off on his jeans and dropping to the floor. "It was like he just got his medical license five minutes before we got there. Like he'd never heard of pulse before."

"Out of a Kracker Jack box," Marik offered, handing out the burgers they'd picked up on the way back from the unhelpful doctor's office.

Yami grinned into the couch cushion. He could tell both of his buds were trying to show their concern as well as take away his worries. Even if it was just for the afternoon, he hadn't given a thought to Yugi's disparture. "I'll be fine," he assured them once he caught hint of their plans to go pummel the newbie doctor for being unusually uncooperative towards his needs. "Sooner or later it has to go away, right?" His voice didn't make him sound so sure, he knew it.

Marik handed him a couple of Tylenol and Yami back-throated them quickly, swallowing them down with a mouthful of ice cold soda. He felt sick for just a moment before a quivering chill ran along his skin and straight down to his bones. He wished he knew what was wrong with himself. He wished he knew what the heck he'd rubbed against that he was so allergic to. More than anything, he wished that Yugi were with him. If his angel were by his side he wouldn't feel pain or annoyance, only bliss and utter contentment because that was the air the celestial being always gave off, even when he was in pain from his wings.

But Yugi wasn't there, he remembered with growing aggravation. His angel would never be there nor would Yami ever lay eyes on him again. Some higher power had stolen him away that the teen would never be able to overcome in a million years. Heck, the only way he'd ever be able to see Yugi again were if Yami himself were to become an angel.

_How would someone like me achieve something like that _he wondered tiredly, feeling his eyes slip closed.

It was an impossible thought, Yami knew. He would imagine only pure people were able to become angels. Good people and innocent people like babies or saints…or Yugi. It was much too late for him. He'd done drugs and smoked more than half of his life. He cussed like a drunken sailor and guzzled alcohol enough to satisfy a large party. Any kind of god would have to be half mad to even think of allowing him to be an angel.

White feathers exploded in front of his vision for a second and before unconsciousness took him, Yami would've sworn he'd seen himself kneeling on the ground reaching up for an older figure, tears streaking his eyes and a hopeful expression on his face.

"He's out," Bakura chuckled, placing a cool flannel on his friend's fevering shoulders.

Marik shook his head, dropping on the floor cross-legged. "That's not surprising. He's probably exhausted and that thing can't be easy to sleep with having it itch all the time."

Neither knew what else they could do other than stick around and keep an eye on them. Nothing short of divine intervention would keep them away and not a word had to be said to know they both agreed.

B R E A K

Yugi stretched out his wings, watching the world below drift by like the sea. He lay on a white cloud and imagined Yami lying beside him. If only he could show Yami this view, it would be amazing. Breathtakingly beautiful, he could hear Yami say. Both of them could stay there for hours just looking at the view. Greens and blues swirling together and only the sound of wind touching their ears.

"You're daydreaming again," Ryou teased. The cloud barely dipped when the other angel landed gracefully beside him. His white wings folded at his back and he knelt down at Yugi's side. "I'm sure Yami's doing fine."

The smaller angel nodded, pillowing his chin with crossed arms. He couldn't say what his heart was worrying about the most. It wasn't sensible and it certainly wasn't very angelic like at all that his worst nightmare included Yami spending his life with someone…else. He did love Yami more than he ever thought he could fall in love before, being an angel didn't leave a whole lot of opportunities to find someone, but with Yami he knew they had something that no one else could have. He wanted him to be happy, but that didn't mean he had to _want_ to give him up to someone else.

_Would he choose someone else even though he can remember me?_ The thought that the answer could be 'yes' made his heart clench painfully tight in his chest.

It had occurred to the newly born angel to question Yami's should-be nonexistent ability to retain his memories of him. The magic of the angels was absolute and, up until now, nothing had ever been able to stop it. Perhaps…was it possible? The only thing that could best heavenly magic was other, more powerful heavenly magic. It was entirely possible, but not probably, that Yami could somehow be the product of an angel and human.

There were plausible reasons why guardians were what they were. Though they could have power backing them, it didn't mean they were strong when it came to matters of loyalty to Gods. In other words, their ability to keep highly guarded secrets like those of Yugi's level were able. They became angels simply because their soul was still in one piece, but their trust factor was something else entirely. It wouldn't be unheard of for a guardian spending so much time around their assigned human who was shown to have promise as a powerful angel to find themselves attracted to them. Would one actually confront them and mate?

"Ryou, have you ever heard of an angel and human producing anything should they find themselves…attracted to each other?"

The other angel's eyes bugged wide and he stared at his friend to be sure he wasn't joking. He wasn't. "What brought that on?"

"Just curiosity." He shrugged. Yugi knew he'd have to elaborate and Ryou would be suspicious. "While I was recovering I happened to sense some strong magic nearby and thought it strange somehow."

"Perhaps you were sensing the long lost Sentry," Ryou teased, only meaning it as a joke and nothing more. However, when he spotted Yugi's lost expression, his smile dropped. "You never heard about that?"

"I've been a little busy recuperating from a fading. What or who is a Sentry?"

Ryou slowly shook his head, white hair back and forth about his face. "This is long, long before you faded, Yugi." He knelt at his side and allowed his legs to swing over the edge of the cloud. "The Sentry is rumored to have been handpicked by the Gods themselves to fiercely guard dark secrets and spells that should never fall into the wrong hands, like the devils and imps that swarm from the underground and do the bidding of the horned devil, the evil that has been sealed away in the depths of hell will only his minions to tell him of earth's status."

Yugi propped himself up on his arms, staring at his friend incredulously. How had he never heard about something this big? He wasn't even aware heaven guarded such a secret let along that there was actually assigned to look over such a thing. Ryou had the answer to this too. "Who would want such a horrible job?"

The angel slowly nodded, staring out at the darkening horizon and looking out the faint stars appearing. "He's missing." Yugi gasped, sitting up further and covering his mouth.

"He fled?"

White hair flicked as Ryou shook his head. "No one knows. Several things are rumored about the disappearance from betrayal, to fright, to even a final death. I only know that if it had been betrayal, than why haven't the secrets been used against us in the time he's been gone?"

A valid point, Yugi knew. Such a huge job for only one angel to partake in. What would make him disappear without causing a huge alarm? Were guards still searching for him or had they given up hope after so long? "What exactly was he supposed to do? How could he know every secret and just carry on like normal?"

Ryou shrugged. "There are several theories on that as well. Joey made it his personal mission in afterlife to collect all the rumors he could. I heard him once say that there is a hidden chamber somewhere within the skies that only the Sentry knows and that's where the secrets are kept."

"So he could just have locked himself away inside this chamber?"

The other nodded. "That is possible, but don't you think the Gods would have retrieved him by now?"

B R E A K

Bakura woke slowly, groaning as he looked at the clock next to his head. It was way too early to be waking. Not even the employees at the bakery around the corner were getting started yet and they started early.

The back of his throat tickled with dryness and he threw the thin blanket off his form and padded out to the kitchen for a drink of water. Passing the couch he paused at a low moan from Yami and snickered. Even in pain his best buddy was managing to get himself off in his sleep. The moonlight shown through the cracks in the wimpy drapes and he followed a bead of sweat as it dripped off his forehead. Curious, he placed a hand on his skin and almost immediately drew back from the burn.

"Shit," he cursed, feeling bad for thinking his friend was doing the down and dirty with his dream hottie when instead he was sizzling hot enough to cook eggs on.

Forgetting his earlier parchness, Bakura dampened the cleanest cloth he could find and washed off the sweat from his skin. "It'll be okay, bud." He didn't think so though. He'd never felt such a fever before.

Marik woke hours later and padded into the living room to witness a first: Bakura panicking. "What's going on," he asked, feeling his own sick worry chewing at his stomach.

"His fever won't break. I-I don't know what to do!"

The bleached-blonde sprinted the short distance to the couch and almost flipped over the back of it trying to stop. Rather than his face, his eyes landed on the red rash at Yami's back and all thoughts of a good day flooded out the window. Bakura followed his gaze and dropped to his knees.

On Yami's back was the rash, angrier and worse than the day before and two black bruises at his shoulder blades.

"What the hell is going on?"

B R E A K

A.N - It's such a curious thing when the one thing I absolutely love about writing other than the creativity of it all and letting myself control a world all of my own is the reviews I get. So far I've been getting zip reviews and somehow a million notices that this and several other my stories are added to people's favorite lists. It would be nice to hear why (wink wink, hint hint). I'll keep writing, but it might help with faster postings should I start receiving a large abundance of reviews.


	12. Onslaught of Memories

He was in a dream. In fact, Yami was certain it was one of those dreams where you had to know you were asleep, and yet he couldn't shake the feeling that he'd been in this place some time ago. The memory of it was fuzzy, as if there were a translucent curtain dangling in front of his eyes that kept him from knowing the truth.

There was a vast amount of land laid out before him with crops growing. A little shack of a house sat in the middle, as shaken as Dorothy's house when it landed in Oz after the tornado. It was tilted and nearly tumbled over if the slightest of breezes should caress its termite infested wood. There was no other building inside except for a barn several feet away, but a quick glance confirmed the fact that no animals were inhabiting it except the spiders who made the cobwebs and probably an odd rat or too, not for some time.

The sound of laughter tore Yami from his memory searching. He pushed around the stalks of corn until he found the source and for a moment he swore he was seeing a ghost. Two children were sitting cross-legged on the ground, easily hidden around the tall crops. They were playing some kind of hand game that Yami couldn't remember, but had seen before. Sitting at their side was a puppy, barking and wagging his tail every time they clapped, sending the group into a laughing tizzy.

The girl was bright eyed with one of those faces that would continue to look beautiful every year she grew older. Her green irises were glowing with happiness as she declared victory over the younger boy and her giggle was enough to make a smile instinctively grow on Yami's face. Her hair was a tangle of golden strings and it appeared as if her cheeks were always blushing.

"You cheated somehow, Mana," the boy accused, though he was laughing along with her. He didn't seem to mind losing to her. In fact, Yami could easily guess he was infatuated with her and it wasn't hard to see why.

In response to his accusation, Mana pounced on top of her friend and proceeded to tickle him until he called mercy. The dog barked and helped the assault by kissing his face with long, wet strokes of his tongue and jumping from side to side each time the boy tried to escape.

When they both parted, gasping for air in between their remaining chuckles, Yami's eyes were drawn to the boy. His would-be ghost. He was the spitting image of the pictures his mother had on the fireplace mantel of him growing up. Crimson eyes aglow with inner flames and untamable spiky dark hair with blonde highlights; it could be his little self.

_Why not_ he thought with a shrug. _It's my dream. _

A sudden hiss escaped the clench of his teeth and his hand immediately went to his shoulder where the pain burned. There was nothing there, but it _hurt_. He felt like he should know why. It bothered him that there was a nagging thought in the back of his head about this and a sick churning in his stomach about the whole situation.

All of this was something he knew, but for the life of him couldn't remember what happened next. He felt fearful and angry all at once; not so wonderful a combination.

B R E A K

The next time he looked up the boy and girl were gone and Yami was standing in front of the tilted house. It was nighttime now and the only source of light was a candle flickering behind one of the window curtains. Inside was the boy asleep in his bed, tossing and turning tirelessly. Once in a while he would cough and Yami couldn't help but feel his heart give a scared pause. The dog lay at the foot of the bed, curled up in a tight ball. It was at least twice the size of the last time Yami had seen it so he guessed that some time had passed. That cold dark feeling hung in the air as he watched his little dream look-a-like and for some reason he felt tears burn at his eyes. Something bad was about to happen.

Indeed something bad was going to happen. The scent of alcohol was heavy in the air and smoke was hovering along the ceiling of the small cabin. On the other side of the room, staring at the bed was an older man with garnet hair and mean, black eyes. A fury like no other attacked Yami's senses as he watched this man and, strangely, a murderous intent to slaughter him tingled in his fingers.

_Why though? I don't know him and he's just a dream._

The clunk of wood and heavy footsteps permeated his thoughts and Yami looked up in time to watch the man pull the dog off the bed by the scruff of his neck. He followed his shadow to the other side of the cabin where he paused for a moment to pick something up and then he was startled by the front door getting kicked open.

Dragging the dog by the scruff of his neck, the man stomped out of the cabin quickly followed by a sobbing little boy, who'd woken up by the noise the door made.

"Please, papa," he begged. His pleas were ignored.

Yami was startled. The language wasn't anything he'd heard of before. It was old, very old; that much he could tell. Somehow he was able to understand it and that part made him somewhat afraid.

Following the duo as they slithered further and further within the cornfield, all the while the son begging his dad not to hurt his friend. Yami was several feet behind them when the cries turned to a high-pitched scream and an explosion of gunfire echoed throughout the air. Yami froze in his footsteps, watching as the older man walked by with his shotgun, a smug grin on his face. Tears came to his eyes and he pushed away the remaining few stalks to see the little boy crying over his dog.

_Guns are monsters_ he remembered thinking that night.

He knew why his father had done that. First his mom had left and Yami had looked so much like her. For all the wrong reasons, his dad was forcing him to stay with him and making his life miserable in the process.

B R E A K

Time sped up again while Yami was wiping at his eyes and the next thing he knew he was standing in front of the barn entrance. Voices were coming from inside and he peeked in, instinctively knowing to look up.

Inside was a much older version of the boy, now in his teens. The girl, Mana, was beside him and Yami's breath caught in his throat when he laid eyes on her. She was gorgeous, just as he remembered. It was like coming home when he caught sight of her face and nothing ever felt more right. He'd been madly in love with this girl and she with him.

"Are you sure you're going to be okay, Yami," she whispered.

Yami could feel tingles running up his spine and he knew what conversation they were having. His dad had been in a drunken rage and had taken it out on him. It had caused an ugly scar down his back, but it had long since disappeared from his own skin.

_How_ he wondered. Yami knew he should still have it because this was definitely his memory. _No, that's not right either. This is my memory, but this is from several lifetimes ago. What the hell happened to make that scar go away? _There was a wall blocking him from continuing through his memories. He knew the only way to find out was to keep watching, but an automatic feeling rushed inside him and made him scared out of his mind to continue. His mind only had to catch up with what his body somehow already knew and remembered.

"It's so ugly, Yami," Mana cried, hugging him tightly. "How could he do this to you? You're his son. If I wasn't so scared of him, I'd go give him a piece of my mind."

"No, Mana," he hissed. "You have to stay away from him." He pressed a kiss to one of her teary green eyes and smiled hopefully. "Soon," he promised, "Soon, we'll be able to run away from here and be together without hiding."

She nodded reluctantly. "I know, Yami, but what if you don't last that long?"

"I will. I promise. I'll do anything to keep him away from you so don't worry about a thing."

From the ground floor, Yami swallowed harshly. There was a pit in his stomach that he didn't like and he wished he could remember what was going to happen next. Without a fast forward button, he'd be forced to watch whatever horrible thing happened next and he didn't want to. Anything he could do to change this god-awful nightmare, he would. Even change it would be best, but that was impossible because this string of events had already happened.

B R E A K

"Get back here, boy!"

He was running. Somehow, without even moving, Yami was moving swiftly alongside his former self. Clasped tightly in his hand was Mana, also following behind him with tears swimming in her eyes. Yami wanted to hug her, but he'd just go right through her.

They'd been discovered just as they were getting ready to leave. His dad wasn't supposed to be there and had caught them just as they were coming out of the cabin with a sack of needed things. That sack was gone now. It had been dropped some time back in their desperation to get out of there, shortly after the first gun shot rang through the air.

Yami clenched his eyes shut tightly, unable to bear watched whatever it was that unfolded back. His body somehow remembered even though his mind didn't and he hated the feeling it was giving him. Something worse than horrible was about to happen and he'd be damned if he wanted to be an unwanted witness. His whole body shook with tremors and tears were flowing in his own eyes.

The dirt road opened and the couple panted for a second before Yami forced them both to continue. They didn't get far before the corn shifted and his dad came out, hollering and waving his gun around for them to stop.

Skidding to a stop, Yami's former self did the only thing he could. He pushed Mana into the field to hide and stood in front of the spot she disappeared so his dad couldn't go after her. Mana wouldn't go far, he knew. She was probably watching and Yami, both of them, shouted for her to get further away. She didn't, the real Yami knew that just like his former self should've known.

"You plan to be rid of me, boy," his father snarled.

"I plan to have my own life," he shouted back, shifting so his dad couldn't get passed him and after the only thing that mattered to him anymore.

Yellow teeth met him when his dad's lip curled. "She'll ruin you," he told Yami. "Women are no good cheats and liars. I've been protectin' you all this time."

Neither Yami believed that for a second. His father was the cheat and liar. He hadn't tended to his farm since his mother died and the crops were overgrown and nearly dead because of it. There was never any money coming in and Yami remembered eating from the stalks just to get something in his stomach, even if it meant getting sick from the bugs.

"You just come back over here, boy, and I'll make sure I forget you tried to run away."

Yami dug his feet into the ground and quickly shook his head.

"Don't make me do this, boy!"

"I won't!"

"Yami?"

The tentative voice made Yami jerk his head back into the field. "Mana! Get out of here," he hissed.

"Maybe we shouldn't do this, Yami. I don't want to see you get hurt."

Yami grabbed hold of her arms, pulling her into a hug. "This is the only way we can be together, Mana."

A cock of the gun was pulled back and Yami stiffened while the dreaming one was trying to push them into the field uselessly.

He didn't want this.

He didn't want this.

He didn't want this!

The boom of the shot gun exploded and Yami jerked back instinctively from the sound. He knew what had happened because he remembered it clearly. His dad had been aiming for Mana, but he'd thrown himself in front of the shot, landing on top of her in the process to protect her. He was still alive, but he'd been unable to move. Forcing himself to stay awake despite the urge to just fall unconscious to relieve himself of the agonizing burn running through his back.

If it had ended there, his whole body wouldn't be shaking with relived pain. If it had ended there, Yami knew, that probably would've been the complete end.

"You monster!" Mana dragged herself off the ground and threw herself at the man, fighting to steal the gun away. She had no chance and another boom sounded along with a thump as her lifeless body dropped.

On the ground, the former Yami was sobbing as he tried to turn and see where Mana was. Her lifeless eyes were staring back at him and both of them started crying for what they lost. Yami knew it was his fault they both ended up like this. If he hadn't wanted to get away so eagerly, they probably would've made it.

"Yami."

The one on the ground hadn't moved, but the real one did. He looked up from his fetal position in the dirt, unable to see clearly through the salt water in his eyes. There was a bright light, that's what he remembered, but now he could tell who it was that came to them. If it hadn't been for Yugi, he might think he'd gone crazy.

An angel knelt on the ground beside his dying body, lifting him so his head rested on his lap. The wings on his back were golden and long hair spilt over his shoulder in waves of white silver. Any other time it might have been divine beauty, but everything looked dead to him now. The lap given to him had been warm and comfortable, but nothing seeped through his frozen skin after seeing Mana dead because of him. His Mana. His precious, precious, beautiful Mana. She was all he wanted and it had been stolen away because of his selfishness. If he had really loved her, he would've pushed her away and forced her to never see him again.

"I have a job for you, Yami. You can come with me. You can watch over other people and make sure this never happens again."

He barely was able to nod at the feeling of cold, frozen death's fingers digging into his skin. The angel nodded and pressed a kiss to his forehead and that was all he'd been able to remember until he woke up again.

B R E A K

An alarm sounded throughout heaven and Yugi and Bakura were shaken from their content staring and easy conversation.

"What's going on," Yugi wondered. There was usually never an alarm unless something really bad had happened.

"Let's go see."

They spread out their wings and pushed into the air with an easy gust of wind. It carried them all the way to where a bustling crowd was gathering and Yugi used his influence to push to the front. An angel in the front was trying to find powerful others to join him. The minute he spotted Yugi, he grabbed him by the arm.

"Will you accompany us?"

Yugi slowly nodded. "What's going on?"

"A powerful magic has erupted in Domino. It's impossible to tell what it is because it's erratic. It could be an unsupervised rebirth or it could even be demons from the Underworld making another attack."

AN - Just a quick note, I would like to inform everyone that I now have posted my first entry on live journal and would love for any and all readers to check it out. It's where I'll post my original stuff though I will still update my fanfiction here. Check out my profile for the address. Thankies!


	13. Dark Wings

Yugi and Ryou landed in a park the angels used to get in and out of Domino City unnoticed. Usually it wouldn't be in a place so public, but no angels were stationed on Earth in his particular city so they had to make do. The bigger counties with more angels on location always had a private room in a building to use, but not Domino.

The park itself was a dump. There was garbage littering the ground and the trashcan nearby was overflowed with junk and flies. Yugi quickly averted his eyes and focused instead on the angel waiting for them. He had sharp blue eyes and shoulder length black hair. His wings were put away, for obvious reasons, but there was a glow about him that made it obvious to the trained eye that he wasn't human.

Shortly after hearing about the emergence of power, Yugi had been contacted by Pegasus, a higher up angel who directed celestials with an iron fist (and also had a strange addiction to cartoons). He'd directed Yugi and one other celestial of his choice to check it out. That's when Yugi knew the power was huge. Sending celestials in to do a guardian's job was reason for alarm. Yugi accepted without a moment's hesitation. There was no need to mention that he might have had ulterior motives once the job was finished. Maybe a little play or an 'accidental' run in with Yami. Unless it looked like he was happy, of course. The newly reborn angel had no reason to affiliate with his human love if he was happy with someone else already. Granted, it hadn't been that long, only a couple weeks and moving quickly onto the third, but it didn't stop Yugi from wanting to see him and perhaps spend some time with him before he was forced to return to the sky. His presence wouldn't be missed for a couple hours and it would be nice to see what he'd been up to.

The waiting angel, Casus, led them to the main street and gave directions from there on how to get to the building where there were several angels waiting already, on orders to remain on standby until Yugi and Ryou arrived. That made both angels nervous. No matter how much power they had, even combined, this was making everyone anxious.

Being on the main street of Domino City was overwhelming for Yugi. He had the memories of his second childhood growing up there and in many ways hit him harder than discovering his first childhood home had been destroyed for a city many years ago. This place was still here and thriving. For seventeen years he'd believe he was a normal human who'd recently begun having strange dreams involving flying and white feathers. He knew different now only because he'd been reborn. It was going to happen sooner or later, he understood that, but it didn't stop the pain he felt that accompanied every angel returning to his hometown and knowing it's not really their hometown anymore. It always took a while for that initial onslaught of overwhelming emotions to pass.

Ryou grabbed his arm when he made to turn off the street, giving him a confused look when Yugi refocused. "Where are you going?"

Looking around, violet eyes fogged for a second and then realization touched him. "This is the way I went to get to school," he explained. "Just an old habit." Ryou cracked a grin and led him in the correction direction, teasing him about being a young fledging and him the mentor this time.

The building they came to a halt at was even more of a wreck than the park they arrived at. The front door wouldn't even work, not that anyone could get close enough to really try. Massive power and magic was swirling around the building and made it impossible for any of the angels to get close. The only clue given that the front door wouldn't work was the fact that it was off its hinges and covered in enough dust to insinuate that whoever was inside hadn't used it to enter the building.

Mokuba was already on site and rushed over to greet them. Despite his young, grade schooler appearance Mokuba was one of the strongest guardians and perhaps on his way to being promoted to something else requiring more power. His brother was actually a director of the guardian division and ruled with a fist of steel and strict orders. The only one he had a soft spot for was his younger sibling.

"We were told you were coming," he told them cheerfully, giving them both a rundown of things they attempted to get inside and see what was going on. "It doesn't feel quite right to be a demon. There's dark magic, but there's some holy too," he finished. This didn't serve to alleviate anyone's worries, not that they would point that out.

B R E A K

Marik and Bakura were across the street from the building and paused to see the commotion. Both of them had met up at the burger hang out, confused and slightly worried, but for reasons they couldn't pinpoint. They couldn't understand why their guts twisted and this absolute need to be somewhere was tugging at them, but they couldn't understand why. It just felt like…something was missing.

"Hey, do you think they're finally gonna tear down that rat-infested place," Marik asked, taking a long drink from his soda. To them they only saw groups of people in construction outfits surrounding the building rather than human look-a-like angels. Beside him, Bakura shrugged.

"Who cares? Come on, we gotta get back home or I'll miss my show." Marik snorted, but they continued on.

B R E A K

Yugi stared, horrified at the very close encounter he'd just about had. He was hiding behind Ryou and clutching at the back of his shirt. He could not believe he just saw Yami's two best friends. What were the chances of actually running into them here? Okay, so he knew they didn't live in the high end of town, but walking by when he happened to just arrive was too much to be pure coincidence.

A twisted wrench suddenly materialized in his stomach and his big violet eyes slowly turned to the building. Why hadn't Yami been with the both of them? He usually was. It was odd. There was no proof to it and honestly no way it could've happened. That sort of thing…it just didn't happen right? What were the chances of two angels being reborn in the same city around the same time? It was usually controlled to not have that happen just because the power emergence was too great and humans were bound to notice. Hell, it was amazing they weren't feeling the brush of magic that was currently pushing all the angels away from the building.

Something about this caress was very familiar to him, but he couldn't place where or why. He couldn't recall ever feeling something quite like this before. Like Mokuba mentioned it was laced with a bit of darkness; not evil, just…shadowed. It was unusual, like it was an angel who'd gone ballistic from a touch from Satan. That's what was impossible about it. Satan was sealed away in the very depths of hell, chained to his thrown with the most powerful of spells. Only lesser demons could come through and those didn't have anywhere near the power as what was touching the air.

"We're ready." The voice came so suddenly that Yugi jumped. Mokuba stared at him for a second and then cracked a grin. "You going to be okay?"

"Yeah." He nodded, turning back towards the dilapidated building. "Let's do this."

It had been agreed that Yugi, being the stronger of the two celestials, would go in first. If it took him longer than ten minutes to show a sign that he was near the source of power or if there obvious problems he couldn't handle on his own than Ryou would follow. Unfortunately since it was such a public area they'd be forced to go in through the windows instead of fly around and see from the outside. One of the many downsides of being a guardian, so they say; have to behave more human than angel.

The inside was worse than the out, Yugi noticed. Floors had crumbled and there wasn't enough room to spread his wings safely so he was forced to find the stairs. That took longer than he would've liked, wasting precious time. Wherever the onslaught of magic was on the second floor, the waves coming off the building didn't even begin to describe it. Ryou wouldn't be able to make it anywhere near the room if it was this strong already. He wasn't the strongest celestial, after all, but the only one available at the time. It's not like Domino was the only city in the world that needed angel help.

Yugi pressed on, checking each of the rooms carefully. Turned out that it wasn't needed. The room was the source of rogue magic was coming from was as obvious as neon signs in the middle of the night, arrows and everything. Garbage and plaster and bits of broken wood and glass were all spiraling towards the room to join the heaving tornado that had been created. It sucked at Yugi too and he was shocked when a fresh wave hit him and forced his wings to unsheathe. The magic had to be incredible to cause that reaction.

His hair was being pushed around like he was in the middle of a windstorm and he had to fold his wings tightly to keep them from smashing into things. He couldn't make out anything through the mess flying about in the room ahead of him and he dared not step one foot into the room until he could stop it. He just hoped Ryou hadn't tried making it into the building yet or he was in for one rude awakening. Focusing, he closed his eyes and unleashed his own power, back lashing it against the slightly darker. It was nearly equal and he could feel sweat beading on his forehead and down his neck from the force of it. The only reason he'd managed to break it off was because it was out of control to begin with. He feared he might not have been able to stop it on his own if whatever had caused the surge actually knew what they were doing.

When he opened his eyes tears immediately sprung to his eyes. The only thing he could make out was an arm and he rushed over to push the clattered and fallen furniture off the still form, praying that he hadn't done permanent damage. Instead what he found drew a strangled cry from his throat.

"Yami," he croaked, voice hitching at the end. "Yami!"

The usually tan body was clammy and pale and the unseeing red stare was dull, looking out at the wall without moving or shifting to show signs of life. Fabric strips of what was left to his shirt clung to his bloodied arms and back, already dried and crusty. Two red soaked wings protruded from his back, one lying flat and the other crumpled underneath him.

He shook the prone, cold form, barely able to stand touching skin to skin. It made him want to be sick and happy all at once. Yami was dead. He was an angel too and that meant they could be together…but, if he was angel than why the dark power?

"Yami," he tried again. Tears slipped down his cheeks and he pulled Yami closer to him, holding his head in his lap and squeezing it just as tightly as he dared. He knew exactly where he'd felt this strange power before. It had been that day in the park the very last time he'd seen Yami.

He was the one who touched Yami. His wings had been out and he hadn't cared if Yami saw him as everything that he was because they loved each other.

He should've cared. He should've held back.

This…

"This is my fault," Yugi sobbed.

B R E A K

Broken whispers touched his ears first and Yami groaned at how loud they sounded to him. Everything was too loud, too bright. Everything was in pain and sensitive, but he knew he needed to move. The more he tried to though the more his shoulders screamed to be relaxed again.

A mirror was just across from the bed he'd been settled into. It was much softer than anything he could remember sleeping in…at least, for a long time he couldn't remember.

Things were much clearer her for him now. Answers that he thought he wanted and ones he didn't think he'd ever get. He could've sworn he heard Yugi's voice, but that was impossible. The minute Yugi or anyone else figured out what he was, who he was, he'd be alone again. The task that had been given to him on the day he officially died over a thousand years ago was still in place. There was just one thing that he needed at the moment and that wouldn't be accomplished unless he was able to move.

It took a lot of pain and will power to slip out of that overly comfortable bed, but he managed. He stood in front of the mirror, flinching at the reflection given to him. His color was slowly returning and the blood he knew he had on him had been wiped off. Like second nature he felt the pull of his wings. They slipped from his shoulder blades, yanking at the recently healed flesh and causing him to flinch. Everything was exactly as he remembered it and he wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing.

Like every other angel, the feathers started off white but towards the edges further down they were spotted black and freckled lighter with red. They weren't normal by any means. The coloring was the price he paid for accepting the job he was assigned. Now he was back to that horrible, nightmarish task. His body remembered the pain just like his mind could recall several things he'd rather not know.

The door beside him creaked open and he heard several gasps. He didn't bother to look at them. He knew exactly what the expressions would be. Disgust. Hatred. Fear. All of those emotions and more were usually thrown his way because people couldn't understand his existence. He was the closest thing to an evil angel in all of heaven and he couldn't answer the question that everyone begged to ask: why.

A twist smirk touched his features before he schooled his mask back into place. Then he turned to those waiting and gave a slight nod.

"Sentry," Pegasus greeted, much like he did all those years before he was sentenced to time on earth. It was supposed to be a reprieve, but it lasted longer than it was supposed to and that's the one question he couldn't answer on his own.

Why hadn't he been retrieved when his break was over?

Beyond Pegasus was a white-haired angel with soft brown eyes, the complete opposite of Bakura. Next to him was a bleached blonde who reminded him of Marik. Further behind him was the one angel he'd managed to become close with and now he couldn't bear to look at him.

"Pegasus," he greeted politely. "Is Allond here yet?"

"He's on his way," the older answered respectfully, causing shock on the other two angels' faces. They must not know what he's capable of yet.

Yami stepped passed them and the first one tried to smile at him. "So there was a Sentry," he said with awe.

"And if you knew better you would care to watch your tongue in the near future." He snapped his mouth shut.

Anger and a burning fury raged beneath his skin Why now? Why of all times did he have to come back now?

"Yugi was worried about you," the other told him. Crimson eyes glanced briefly at said angel, standing off in the far corner and doing his best not to look at him, before he nodded his thanks.

"Yami!"

The voice – that voice – was the most beautiful sound to his ears at the moment. It was the same person who'd rescued him and turned him into what he was. He was also the only one he could call a friend in heaven.

"Allond," he greeted, hugging the older angel.

"I've missed you. Come. We have much to discuss." Yami nodded and, without a glance backwards, he followed the blonde haired angel out of the building and to the skies.

Yugi stared after them, heartbroken. Yami had barely spared him a glance. Did being a sentry really mean they couldn't be together even though they were both angels now? That wasn't fair. That wasn't what he wanted. It was all he could think about since Yami had been brought back and settled into his bed and cleaned up. Sure, the wings had terrified him at first because no angel has ever had any color other than white and maybe some grey before, but black and red…those were the colors of evil. Why would an angel have such things?

And yet, Yugi couldn't find it in him to care. He still loved Yami furiously and that fueled him into his next actions. He stormed out the door and called after him, staring into red eyes when they turned. Both angels turned to look at him and then Yami nodded the other to go ahead before drifting down to meet his gaze.

"Yami -!"

"Stop it, Yugi." The harsh words caused the other to snap his mouth shut, hurt already forming in those bright violet depths. Yami cursed himself. He would no shadow those brilliant colors with his darkness. It was too dangerous to get close. "You and I still have nothing in common. I can't be with you like you think I can. A sentry and a celestial are too far apart."

"But, Yami, I've missed you. You're all I can think about."

"Then find another!"

"I don't want anyone else!"

"Than we are meant to be alone." And he turned to go, ignoring anything else Yugi tried to say.

B R E A K

Didn't think I'd be that easy, did you? Don't worry, readers, there is a reason for Yami wanting to push his beloved Yugi away.


	14. Acceptance

"I've never seen you hurt another so carelessly with your words before, Yami," Allond commented, settling his golden seat and taking a sip of tea. His companion remained standing, not touching what he was offered. It didn't surprise Allond. Yami had acted like this before he left also and had long since stopped pointing it out.

"If you also care to recall, the only one I ever spoke to was you."

Sipping thoughtfully at his porcelain white cup, Allond was forced to agree. There was never any angel other than him that had dared to speak to Yami once the nature of his wings was revealed. The colors alone were curious enough, but adding a reason to them made him a despised creature. Was it a valid excuse for treating him unkindly? To shun him? Of course not. Allond didn't think so anyway, but then he and Pegasus were the only two angels that knew of his human life and why he'd been appointed such a horrid task.

Within Yami there was a contained sphere of energy. He'd taken it into his body willingly and protected it. Accepting it caused his wings to change colors. Yes, this energy was evil-based and Yami was trusted explicitly to never use it. His body wouldn't be able to handle the strain of it and would eventually kill him. At once if he unleashed it completely, or little by little if it was used sparingly. His life would end and he wouldn't come back.

A dying angel was nothing like a faded one. Faded merely meant that the magical reserve had been depleted beyond what a normal sleep was capable of rectifying. In order to recover completely a reboot had to occur. The same number of years that the human lived before dying and was appointed an angel. The flesh was merely an illusion vessel to hide what was really happening that shed away when it was no longer needed. Dying was eternal. There was no such thing as recovering from a death to an angel.

To some it made more sense to give the energy to a more powerful angel or to spread it around rather than containing it within more than one being, but the unimaginable pain it took just to transfer it, no one was willing to cause it more than needed.

"Yugi seemed to genuinely care for you. Perhaps it's a sign you should end your silence and let someone other than me in."

An echoing slap sounded around the room as Yami slammed his hands on the table, upsetting the China and spilling Allond's tea if he hadn't rescued it in time. "Enough of your games," he shouted, doing his best to hold onto his temper. Magic crackled at his fingertips and, though Allond trusted Yami to know his limits, he used his own energy as a shield against it. "Why did you take so long to come get me?"

A sad sort of smile touched Allond's face and he set his cup back down, not daring to raise his gaze and meet Yami's blazing eyes. "It was decided against when the time came for your reprieve to end."

"Against," Yami repeated with high-pitched disbelief. "You mean nobody wanted me back."

"The power you hold is plenty safe with you being aware of it and the consequences should the wrong hands come to find it, but others argued that it was far safer should it remain locked inside a human body, unobtainable and forgotten."

Yami ground his teeth together. "And what if the worst would happen and I'd been found anyway? There'd have been no way to protect myself or the secrets I carry."

Here Allond stayed silent, ignoring both his tea and his dear friend. "I fought for you to come back. If nobody else, I missed you. I longed for your return, for your company. Yami, you know I love you."

"Then stop hiding things from me! Tell me the whole truth for once!"

A pregnant pause followed and Yami was close to losing himself in a fit of rage, but then Allond stood and retrieved something from the cupboards in the hallway. When he returned there was a large stack of papers in his hand, neatly organized and meticulously straight, as was Allond's way. Looking closely enough, Yami noticed it was in two piles paper clipped together, one much larger than the other.

"A vote was cast the day before you were meant to be reawakened. Nobody except those who already knew the whole truth knew exactly what was going on, but a brief explanation was given. I saved them just in case the day came you did return. The argument was that the energy and secrets were safe as long as you remained human. Should you be captured there would still be no way to obtain the information unless there was angel to awaken you. It would only be classified as a double win if your human body eventually died out and the secrets lost forever." He pushed the large paper clipped stack towards Yami. "The decision was, unfortunately, unanimous."

Yami flipped through each of the papers. At the very top was the explanation given for the vote. No reasons or names were given and the very minimal and less important details were given for the angels who voted to make their decisions with. At the very bottom were two checkmarks boxes with a 'yes' or 'no' option. The larger stacks were all the declines. Whoever said angels were merciful was clearly mistaken.

"There is something you should know though," Allond told him hesitantly, "and it has a lot to do with why you should reconsider how you treated Yugi."

With a roll of his crimson eyes, Yami accepted the much lighter stack of only about ten pieces of paper that were acceptances of his nature and agreeable about him coming back. At the very top was Allond's paper and after that was Pegasus. Then there were names he recognized as new angels at the time who thought the vote was some kind of test. The very last page shouldn't have been much of a surprise. It was Yugi's paper and in the clear space after the check boxes that expressed in what had to have been angry words his disgust than any angel should be thrown from heaven solely for a job that was pressed onto him and if ever found out who it was he'd retrieve them himself.

_ That's my Yugi_ he told himself with a ghost of a smile lifting his lips. That didn't really change his mind about allowing himself to be with Yugi though. There had to be better people out there for him than half an angel whose only job was to keep his temper from exploding.

"You're better than you think," Allond told him, as if reading his mind. "The only person in the world who can decide you're evil is you. If you let the others decide that than you were better off remaining ignorant of the truth, going through the cycle of death and rebirth forever as a human." He stood and crossed the room to wash out his cup and then slipped out the front door.

Yami stared after him as his only friend and mentor left him. He was better off, wasn't he? Allowing somebody as pure as Yugi into his life with the secrets he carried would only end in disaster. In the end, there would be two angels who were tainted.

"Not an angel," he muttered, fists clenched tightly at his sides. "An abomination." All the glass in the kitchen shattered.

B R E A K

Yugi hesitated at the sound of glass breaking. He's passed by the mysterious Allond on his way there and the other angel had nodded like it was okay for him to go see Yami, but now he wasn't so sure. He didn't want to catch him at a bad time, but he might not get another chance alone with him. Hesitantly, he lifted his hand and knocked. When nobody answered he pushed open the door and peeked inside. Yami was curled up on the kitchen floor with his head on his knees, breathing heavily.

Stepping inside silently, Yugi picked his way over the pieces of China until he stood in front of the other angel, kneeling in front of him. "Yami," he whispered.

"Don't call me that," he grumbled, not bothering to look up.

Confused, Yugi sat back on his knees and wrapped his arms around him. The air was suddenly starting to feel very cold, which was weird since heaven had never felt chilly to him before. And then he felt the tingles of magic at his fingertips and he knew the one causing it was Yami. When Yugi had first arrived and started to use magic, people referred to his power at a pure burst of sunlight, shining everybody with kisses of warmth and love. Yami's was a very different touch, but he didn't feel evil coming from it at all.

"You feel like the moonlight," Yugi whispered.

Yami glanced up, peeking through the cracks in his eyes, which were rimmed with red. "What?" His voice cracked at the end.

Leaning forward, Yugi brushed the ends of his bangs out of the way and smiled Yami's favorite smile at him. It damn near broke his heart just to see it and he ended up crashing into Yugi's shoulder, hugging him tightly and sobbing into his clothes.

"It makes me want to dance with the stars and the moon, in the middle of the night where nobody else will be able to see. It's different and that's what makes people wary, but it's only as mysterious as the night. Not darkness, but just during the time people sleep. It's beautiful."

"How can you say that," Yami cried bitterly, pushing him away. "It's disgusting. Just look at what I did." He waved his hand about the kitchen, biting on his bottom lip.

Yugi didn't bother looking. He knew exactly what it looked like. "Anybody could do this," he told him bluntly. "Everyone is capable of destruction, but very few have the gift to heal things." To prove his point he picked up the pieces of a flowery China cup and blew a bit of magic into the cracks. A bright warmth that smelled of grass and springtime and pure sunlight touched their senses and when the glow ended the cup was fully repaired. A white feather drifted down from the ceiling and landed daintily next to the fixed glass. When Yami lifted his eyes he watched painfully as Yugi's all white wings folded against his shoulders. They were even more perfect in all their glory than the first time Yami had seen them.

With delicate fingers, Yugi picked up his feather and pressed it gently into Yami's hands. "A gift," he grinned. "I wanted to give one to you before I left, but I wasn't allowed to leave anything behind."

"You left a memory behind," Yami whispered. "You left me behind."

Yugi nodded, sitting back against his knees and wrapping his arms around them. "I'm sorry. If I had the choice, I would've stayed behind. You know I would. I was heartbroken the entire time I was without you." Leaning forward, Yugi tilted Yami's head with two fingers and smiled brightly. "But not anymore. I'll never leave you behind again."

Rough fingers skimmed his cheek and Yugi let out a quiet sigh at the longing touch. It had felt like forever since he'd last felt Yami's warm skin caress his. He wasn't even sure when his attraction started, just that he was glad that it did. At first, it had been admiration for someone he looked up to, but it had grown into something much more precious. It hurt it him when he found out he was in love with Yami, but in a painfully good way. It was an ache he would gladly carry for the rest of his life if that meant he could stay by the crimson-eyed angel's side.

Their wings mingled together, skimming light feathers with dark as Yami finally unfolded them from where they hid. Having the shimmering pearl white mixed with the glossy black-red surrounding the both of them was like walking into the middle of an oil painting and a light rain. Their magic touched and intertwined, knotting together to create the smells of spring and winter, sunshine and snow at midnight.

"Beautiful," Yugi whispered just as one of Yami's feathers drifted to the floor, dripped with red and edged in black. He picked it up and pinned it into place, taking care not to ruffle it or bend it.

"You'd really walk around this place with one of my feathers," Yami asked skeptically. Yugi's only response was the nod enthusiastically.

When they pulled apart and glanced around the room, Yugi smirked and crossed his arms with a look that could only say, "I told you so." All of the broken objects in the room had been repaired and polished, returned to their proper place.

With only a moment's hesitation, Yami took the other angel's hand and led him out the door and to the skies. It was a short flight leading away from where the majority of heaven's occupants flew. Beyond the fog the clouds created was an outcropped ledge on the mountains and that's where Yami took him to. At first, Yugi was confused, but with a simple brush of magic an opening had been created and Yami ushered him in quickly. As soon as they passed the threshold the illusion reappeared and it was once more a solid wall.

The inside of the mountain was hollowed out and had been scarcely decorated with bits of worn, but comfy furniture that resembled Yami in every way.

"It looks exactly like your room when you were human," Yugi noted, dropping down into a cushy chair and sinking into it.

With a nod, Yami dropped onto a disheveled cot that hadn't been used in years. Still the magic that kept this hideaway secret worked even with dust. It was as clean as the very day Yami stepped into it. The only mess that needed to be cleaned up was the hundreds of things he'd broken in a rage over the years due to his miserable luck. All of that had been neatly shoved into a corner and covered with a heavy cheat so it only gave the appearance of a lumpy chair.

From Yugi's position in the armchair he was given a clear view of the room. Next to him against the wall was a lopsided bookshelf with several different books ranging from all kinds of fiction, all of them with happy endings. He ran his finger along the spines as he read from _Pinocchio_ to _Short_ _Circuit_, _Shrek_. He noted that each one the main character differed greatly from those around them and they still received a happily ever after. On his other side was the bed Yami sat on with a thick, plain grey comforter. There was a tiny kitchenette directly across from him with a table big enough for one in a clear space to the right of it. Beyond that was a little, narrow hallway leading into a room he could barely see, but there was one thing right in his line of sight that he couldn't ignore.

Standing slowly, Yugi crossed the room, fully aware of Yugi's eyes trained on his form. He heard the sharp intake of breath coming from his companion as he passed into the attached room. It was just a closet of a room, meant for only one thing. If the chains on the wall were anything to go by, it wasn't a very pleasant thing.

Training his face to keep anything accusatory out of his expression, Yugi glanced back at Yami. He hadn't even noticed when the other angel followed him into the other room. "What is this?"

Shame was the easiest emotion on Yami's face. "There are times when it becomes too much." He fingered the metal links. Etched into each of the cuffs were crosses and runes of holy symbols. Yugi's fingers skimmed across those. "Allond is usually the one here to do it."

That's when Yugi realized several things that had never made sense for him before. "All this time you've locked yourself away in this room. That's why I'd never seen or heard of you before. Everyone thinks that you're a rumor, but you're really the bravest one of all."

Yami's head shot up, staring at Yugi with wide eyes. "You must be joking."

"But I'm not. I'm being perfectly honest." He giggled, taking Yami's hand and forcing him to drop his restraints. "Have I ever lied to you?"

"No, but I – Yugi, you have to know the truth if you're going to be hanging around me." He took a deep breath, walking backwards out of the room and taking the other angel from the room at the same time. Before continuing he pulled the ratty curtain that blocked off the room from view. "Inside of me there is an ugly, distorted power that the demons of Hell would do anything to get their poisonous claws on. Something that will make their Master all the more powerful and easily take over the center realm and corrupt all humans." Yugi nodded, listening carefully. "I've been charged with protecting it, but the only way to do that was to take it into my body. The downfall of that is obviously my wings changed colors because of the touch of evil, but my emotions are always in disarray and easily fluctuate from one extreme to the next. If I get to angry it could easily tip me over the wrong way, hence the reason for the chains. If I lost myself I could destroy hundreds of angels with a single blow, and I mean that literally."

Yugi nodded, much more serious.

"If that happens – and you'll know when it does – you have to do anything you can to stop me. I'm not always going to be near those chains."

"But you're fine right now. You aren't evil, you're you, Yami. So, for right now, let's focus on much more pleasant things." He pressed his lips to Yami's neck and curled his fingers tightly into his shirt, pushing his body into Yami's.

Using all his will power, Yami pushed him a fraction away. "Jeez, Yugi, you aren't listening. I'm telling you that I'm capable of killing you and I won't even know I've done it until it's too late. It's why I've never allowed myself to become close to anybody."

"Yami," Yugi sighed, kissing his tightly closed lips, "I am listening. I promise you, but you're making it sound like a sure thing when it's not. You're explanation is full of 'what-ifs' and 'coulds'. You have to trust me when I sat I'm powerful. Just because I'm not an Overseer Angel like Pegasus or Allond doesn't mean I can't handle it. I'm a Seraphim and one of the best." He winked for effect and returned to the more pleasurable activity of kissing and suckling. Yami was still tense against him though and he groaned.

"Think of this way, Yami. There's a definite line between good and evil, but that line isn't always easy to define. Sometimes people do things that are bad for a good reason or good things for selfish reasons, which end badly. For instance, if you were running rampant and I was the only one able to do anything, I could kill you to save the lives of every other person, but then I could also keep you alive selfishly because I wouldn't want to lose you. The point is that you're crossing line is just a little easier to see than the rest of us."

"I'd never thought of it like that before…"

And with that, they dropped onto the bed, entwined in feathers and blankets, and stopped talking.


End file.
